OF  THE 

U  N  IVLRSITY 
or  ILLINOIS 

244  • 

M7Trvi 


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PrestnteJ 


HOW  TO  USE  THIS  BOOK 


A  FEW  SUGGESTIONS 

Peruse  it  for  personal  pleasure  and  profit 

Cut  out  the  illustrations  and  striking  paragraphs, 
filing  the  same  for  future  use. 

Read  aloud  to  somebody  one  or  several  of  the 
chapters. 

Hand  it  to  a  young  Christian  needing  counsel  and 
direction. 

Gather  sermon  suggestions  from  its  pages. 

Keep  it  with  others  circulating  as  a  library  in  the 
missionary  circle. 

Mail  it  to  a  missionary,  home  or  foreign. 

Make  out  a  list  of  friends  or  acquaintances  that 
should  read  this  book;  send  the  book  to  the 
first  named,  ask  him  to  pass  it  on  to  the  second, 
and  so  on. 

Suggest  to  someone  the  thought  of  doing  “book 
missionary”  work  with  it  and  other  volumes  of 
the  same  Series. 

Show  it  to  a  friend,  telling  him  how  good  it  is,  and 
how  inexpensive  to  circulate. 

Call  the  attention  of  your  local  bookseller  to  it,  and 
urge  him  to  carry  a  line  of  the  Moody  Col- 
PORTAGE  Library  books. 


3 


oody’s  Stories 


0» 


Bdng  a  Second  Volume  of  Anecdotes^ 
Incidents  and  Illustrations 


By  D.  L.  Moody 


Authorized  Collection 


CHICAGO 

Tbm  Bible  Institute  Colportage  Association 


826  La  Salle  Avenub 


COFVRIGHTED  1899 

The  Bible  Institute  Colportaoe  AssoeiATiON 
OF  Chicago 


AA" 

v\nv^ 

MOODY’S  STORIES 


1$ 


Lady  Pendulum 

When  Mr.  Sankey  and  I  were  in  London  a  lady  who 
attended  our  meetings  was  brought  into  the  house  in 
her  carriage,  being  unable  to  walk.  At  first  she  was 
very  skeptical;  but  one  day  she  said  to  her  servant: 

“Take  me  into  the  inquiry  room.” 

After  I  had  talked  with  her  a  good  while  about  her 
soul  she  said: 

“But  you  will  go  back  to  America,  and  it  will  be  all 
over.” 

“Oh,  no,”  said  I,  “it  is  going  to  last  forever.” 

I  couldn’t  make  her  believe  it.  I  don’t  know  how 
many  times  I  talked  with  her.  At  last  I  used  the  fable 
of  the  pendulum  in  the  clock.  The  pendulum  figured 
up  the  thousands  of  times  it  would  have  to  tick,  and 
got  discouraged,  and  was  going  to  give  up.  Then  it 
thought,  “It  is  only  a  tick  at  a  time,”  and  went  on.  So 
it  is  in  the  Christian  life — only  one  step  at  a  time.  That 
helped  this  lady  very  much.  She  began  to  see  that  if 
she  could  trust  in  God  for  a  supply  of  grace  for  only  one 
day,  she  could  go  right  on  in  the  same  way  from  day  to 
day.  As  soo^n  as  she  saw  this,  she  came  out  quite  decided. 
But  she  never  could  get  done  talking  about  that  pendu¬ 
lum.  The  servants  called  her  Lady  Pendulum.  She  had 

1 


r-frr 


8 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


a  penduium  put  up  in  her  room  to  remind  her  of  the 
illustration,  and  when  I  went  away  from  London  she 
gave  me  a  dock — I’ve  got  it  in  my  house  still. 

The  Greater  Mystery 

Dr.  Andrew  Bonar  once  said  that,  although  it  was  a 
mystery  to  him  how  sin  should  have  come  into  the  world, 
it  was  still  a  greater  mystery  how  God  should  have  come 
here  to  bear  the  penalty  of  it  Himself. 

Never  Runs  Dry 

I  remember  being  in  a  city  where  I  noticed  that 
the  people  resorted  to  a  favorite  well  in  one  of  the  parks- 
I  said  to  a  man  one  day: 

“Does  the  well  never  run  dry?” 

The  man  was  drinking  of  the  water  out  of  the  well; 
and  as  he  stopped  drinking,  he  smacked  his  lips,  and 
said : 

“They  have  never  been  able  to  pump  it  dry  yet. 
They  tried  it  a  few  years  ago.  They  put  the  fire-engines 
to  work,  and  tried  all  they  could  to  pump  the  well  dry; 
but  they  found  there  was  a  river  flowing  right  under  the 
city.” 

Thank  God,  the  well  of  salvation  can  never  run  dry 
either! 

He  Trusted  his  Father 

A  party  of  gentlemen  in  Scotland  wanted  to  get 
some  eggs  from  a  nest  on  the  side  of  a  precipice,  and 
they  tried  to  persuade  a  poor  boy  that  lived  near  to  go 
over  and  get  them,  saying  they  would  hold  him  by  a 
rope,  They  offered  him  a  good  deal  of  money;  but  they 
were  strangers  to  him,  and  he  would  not  go.  They 
told  him  they  would  see  that  no  accident  happened  to 
him;  they  would  hold  the  rope. 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


9 


At  last  he  said:  “I  will  go  if  my  father  will  hold 
the  rope.” 

He  trusted  his  father. 

A  man  will  not  trust  strangers.  I  want  to  get 
acquainted  with  a  man  before  I  put  my  confidence  in 
him.  I  have  known  God  for  forty  years,  and  I  have 
more  confidence  ir.  Him  now  than  I  ever  had  before ;  it 
increases  every  year. 


Peace  Declared 

When  France  and  England  were  at  war  once  a  French 
vessel  had  gone  off  on  a  long  whaling  voyage.  When 
they  came  back,  the  crew  were  short  of  water,  and  being 
near  an  English  port,  they  wanted  to  get  water;  but  they 
were  afraid  that  they  would  be  taken  prisoners  if  they 
went  into  that  port.  Some  people  in  the  port  saw  their 
signal  of  distress,  and  sent  word  that  they  need  not  be 
afraid,  that  the  war  was  over,  and  peace  had  been 
declared.  But  they  couldn’t  make  those  sailors  believe 
it,  and  they  didn’t  dare  to  go  into  port,  although  they 
were  out  of  water.  At  last  they  made  up  their  minds 
that  they  had  better  go  in  and  surrender  their  cargo 
and  their  lives  to  their  enemies  rather  than  perish  at  sea 
without  water;  and  when  they  got  in,  they  found  out 
that  what  had  been  told  them  was  true,  that  peace  had 
been  declared. 

There  are  a  great  many  people  who  don’t  believe  the 
glad  tidings  that  peace  has  been  made  by  Jesus  Christ 
between  God  and  man,  but  it  is  true. 

Sawdust  or  Bread 

If  you  go  out  to  your  garden  and  throw  down  some 
sawdust,  the  birds  will  not  take  any  notice;  but  if  you 


lO 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


throw  down  some  crumbs,  you  will  find  they  will  soon 
sweep  down  and  pick  them  up. 

The  true  child  of  God  can  tell  the  difference  (so  t© 
speak)  between  sawdust  and  bread.  Many  so-called 
Christians  are  living  on  the  world’s  sawdust,  instead  of 
being  nourished  by  the  Bread  that  cometh  down  from 
heaven.  Nothing  can  satisfy  the  longings  of  the  soul 
but  the  Word  of  the  living  God. 

“Baby’s  Feeding  Himself  1“ 

You  know  it  is  always  regarded  a  great  event  in  the 
family  when  a  child  can  feed  itself.  It  is  propped  up  at 
table,  and  at  first  perhaps  it  uses  the  spoon  upside  down, 
but  by  and  by  it  uses  it  all  right,  and  mother,  or  per¬ 
haps  sister,  claps  her  hands  and  says': 

“Just  see,  baby’s  feeding  himself!’’ 

Well,  what  w^e  need  as  Christians  is  to  be  able  to  feed 
ourselves.  How  many  there  are  who  sit  helpless  and 
listless,  with  open  mouths,  hungry  for  spiritual  things, 
and  the  minister  has  to  try  to  feed  them,  while  the  Bible 
is  a  feast  prepared,  into  which  they  never  venture. 

Should  Not  Be  Postponed 

In  1871  I  preached  a  series  of  sermons  on  the  life  of 
Christ  in  old  Farwell  hall,  Chicago,  for  five  nights.  I 
took  Him  from  the  cradle  and  followed  Him  up  to  the 
judgment  hall,  and  on  that  occasion  I  consider  I  made 
as  great  a  blunder  as  ever  I  made  in  my  life.  It  was  upon 
that  memorable  night  in  October,  and  the  court-house 
bell  was  sounding  an  alarm  of  fire,  but  I  paid  no  atten¬ 
tion  to  it.  You  know  we  were  accustomed  to  hear  the 
fire-bell  often,  and  it  didn’t  disturb  us  much  when  it 
sounded.  I  finished  the  sermon  upon  “What  Shall  I  Do 
with  Jesus?”  and  said  to  the  audience: 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


1 1 


“Now,  i  want  you  to  take  the  question  with  you  and 
think  it  over,  and  next  Sunday  I  want  you  to  come  back 
and  tell  me  what  you  are  going  to  do  with  Him.” 

What  a  mistake!  It  seems  now  as  if  Satan  was  in  my 
mind  when  I  said  this.  Since  then  I  never  have  dared 
give  an  audience  a  week  to  think  of  their  salvation.  If 
they  were  lost,  they  might  rise  up  in  judgment  against 
me.  “Now  is  the  accepted  time.” 

I  remember  Mr.  Sankey  singing,  and  how  his  voice 
rang  when  he  came  to  that  pleading  verse: 

“To-day  the  Savior  calls, 

For  refuge  fly! 

The  storm  of  Justice  falls, 

And  death  is  nighl” 

After  the  meeting  we  went  home.  I  remember  going 
down  La  Salle  street  with  a  young  man,  and  saw  the 
glare  of  flames.  I  said  to  the  young  man: 

“This  means  ruin  to  Chicago.” 

About  one  o’clock  Farwell  hall  was  burned;  soon  the 
church  in  which  I  had  preached  went  down,  and  every¬ 
thing  was  scattered,  I  never  saw  that  audience  again. 

My  friends,  we  don’t  know  what  may  happen  to-mor¬ 
row,  but  there  is  one  thing  I  do  know,  and  that  is,  if  you 
take  the  gift  of  God  you  are  saved.  If  you  have  eternal 
life  you  need  not  fear  fire,  death,  or  sickness.  Let  dis¬ 
ease  or  death  come,  you  can  shout  triumphantly  over 
the  grave  if  you  have  Christ.  My  friends,  what  are  you 
going  to  do  with  Him?  Will  you  not  decide  now? 

Teaching  Willie  Faith 

Some  years  ago  I  wanted  to  teach  my  boy  what  faith 
was,  and  so  I  put  him  on  a  table.  He  was  a  little  fellow 


•  12 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


about  two  years  old.  I  stood  back  three  or  four  feet, 
and  said. 

“Willie,  jump.“ 

The  little  fellow  said,  “Papa,  I’se  afraid.** 

I  said:  “Willie,  I  will  catch  you.  Just  look  right  at 
me,  and  jump.’’ 

The  little  fellow  got  all  ready  to  jump,  and  then 
looked  down  again,  and  said,  “I’se  afraid.” 

“Willie,  didn’t  I  tell  you  I  would  catch  you?  Will 
papa  deceive  you?  Now,  Willie,  look  me  right  in  the 
eye,  and  jump,  and  I  will  catch  you.” 

The  little  fellow  got  all  ready  the  third  tim-e  to  jump, 
but  he  looked  on  the  floor,  and  said: 

“I’se  afraid.” 

“Didn’t  I  tell  you  I  would  catch  you?” 

“Yes.” 

At  last  I  said :  “Willie,  don’t  take  your  eyes  off  me” ; 
and  I  held  the  little  fellow’s  eyes,  and  said,  “Now, 
jump;  don’t  look  at  the  floor;”  and  he  leaped  into  my 
arms. 

Then  he  said  to  me,  “Let  me  jump  again.** 

I  put  him  back,  and  the  moment  he  got  on  the  table 
he  jumped,  and  after  that,  when  he  was  on  the  table 
and  I  was  standing  five  or  six  feet  away  I  heard  him  cry, 
“Papa,  I’se  coming,”  and  had  just  time  to  rush  and 
catch  him.  He  seemed  to  put  too  much  confidence  in 
me.  But  you  cannot  put  too  much  confidence  in  God. 

Act  on  Your  Belief 

When  President  Lincoln  signed  the  proclamation  of 
emancipation,  copies  of  it  were  sent  to  all  points  along 
the  Northern  line,  where  they  were  posted.  Now,  sup¬ 
posing  a  slave  should  have  seen  a  copy  of  that  proclama- 


MOODYS  STORIES 


13 


tion  and  should  have  learned  its  contents.  He  might 
have  known  the  fact,  he  might  have  assented  to  its  jus¬ 
tice,  but  if  he  had  still  continued  to  serve  his  old  master 
as  a  slave  his  faith  in  the  document  would  not  have 
amounted  to  anything.  ^ 

And  so  it  is  with  us.  A  mere  knowledge  of  the  his¬ 
torical  events  of  Christ’s  life,  or  a  simple  intellectual 
assent  to  His  teachings  and  His  mission,  will  be  of  no 
help  in  a  man’s  life  unless  he  adds  to  them  a  trustful 
surrender  to  the  Lord’s  loving  kindness. 

“Forty  Miles  to  Liberty” 

A  friend  of  mine  went  to  teach  in  Natchez  before  the 
war.  He  and  a  friend  of  his  went  out  riding  one  Satur¬ 
day  in  the  country.  They  saw  an  old  slave  coming,  and 
they  thought  they  would  have  a  little  fun.  They  had 
just  come  to  a  place  where  there  was  a  fork  in  the  road, 
and  there  was  a  sign-post  which  read,  “Forty  miles  to 
Liberty.’’ 

“Sambo,  how  old  are  you?” 

“I  don’t  know,  massa.  I  guess  I’se  about  eighty.” 

“Can  you  read?” 

“No,  sah;  we  don’t  read  in  dis  country.  It’s  agin 
the  law.  ” 

“Can  you  tell  what  is  on  that  sign-post?” 

“Yes,  sah;  it  says  forty  miles  to  Liberty.” 

“Well,  now,”  said  my  friend,  “why  don’t  you  follow 
that  road  and  get  your  liberty?  It  says  there,  only 
‘forty  miles  to  Liberty.’  Now,  why  don’t  you  take  that 
road  and  go  there?” 

The  old  man’s  countenance  changed,  and  he  said: 
“That  ar’s  a  sham,  young  massa,  but  if  it  pointed  up 
thar,  ”  and  he  raised  his  trembling  hand  toward  heaven, 


H 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


“to  the  liberty  wherewith  Christ  makes  us  free,  that  ar 
wouldn’t  be  no  sham.” 

The  old  slave,  with  all  his  ignorance,  had  even  then 
experienced  a  liberty  in  his  own  soul  that  these  young 
men,  with  all  their  boasted  education,  at  that  time  knew 
nothing  of. 

The  Most  Important  Thing 

A  certain  John  Bacon,  once  a  famous  sculptor,  left 
an  inscription  to  be  placed  on  his  tomb  in  Westminster 
Abbey: 

“What  I  was  as  an  artist  seemed  of  some  importance 
to  me  while  I  lived;  but  what  I  was  as  a  believer  in 
Jesus  Christ  is  the  only  thing  of  importance  to  me  now.” 

Taking  the  Wrong  Boat 

A  Methodist  minister,  on  his  way  to  a  camp-meeting, 
through  some  mistake  took  passage  on  the  wrong  boat. 
He  found  that  instead  of  being  bound  for  a  religious 
gathering,  he  was  on  his  way  to  a  horse-race.  His  fel¬ 
low-passengers  were  betting  and  discussing  the  events, 
and  the  whole  atmosphere  was  foreign  to  his  nature.  He 
besought  the  captain  that  he  would  stop  his  boat  and  let 
him  off  at  the  first  landing,  as  the  surroundings  were  so 
distasteful  to  him. 

The  story  also  goes  on  to  relate  how,  on  the  same 
occasion  a  sporting  man,  intending  to  go  to  the  races, 
by  some  mistake  found  himself  on  the  wrong  boat,  bound 
for  the  camp-meeting.  The  conversation  about  him  was 
no  more  intelligible  to  him  than  to  the  man  in  the  first 
instance,  and  he,  too,  besought  the  captain  to  stop  and 
let  him  off  the  boat. 

Now  what  was  true  in  these  two  cases  is  practically 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


^5 


true  with  every  one.  A  true  Christian  is  wretched  where 
there  is  no  fellowship,  and  an  unregenerate  man  is  not 
at  ease  where  there  are  only  Christians.  A  man’s  future 
will  be  according  to  what  he  is  here  prepared  for.  If  h'e 
is  not  regenerate,  heaven  will  have  no  attractions  for 
him.  Heaven  is  a  prepared  place  for  a  prepared  people. 

The  Best  Proof 

“The  highest  proof  of  the  infallibility  of  Scripture,” 
said  the  late  A.  J.  Gordon,  “is  the  practical  one  that 
we  have  proved  it  so.  As  the  coin  of  the  realm  has 
always  been  found  to  buy  the  amount  of  its  face-value, 
so  the  prophecies  and  promises  of  Scripture  have  yielded 
their  face  value  to  those  who  have  taken  the  pains  to 
prove  them.  If  they  have  not  always  done  so,  it  is 
probable  that  they  have  not  yet  matured.  There  are 
multitudes  of  Christians  who  have  so  far  proved  the 
veracity  of  the  Bible  that  they  are  ready  to  trust  it  with¬ 
out  reserve  in  all  that  it  pledges  for  the  world  yet  unseen 
and  the  life  yet  unrealized.” 

« 

Have  Faith. 

I  remember  a  man  telling  me  he  preached  for  a  num¬ 
ber  of  years  without  any  result.  He  used  to  say  to  his 
wife  as  they  went  to  church  that  he  knew  the  people 
would  not  believe  anything  he  said;  and  there  was  no 
blessing.  At  last  he  saw  his  error;  he  asked  God  to 
help  him,  and  took  courage,  and  then  the  blessing  came. 

“According  to  your  faith  it  shall  be  unto  you.”  This 
man  had  expected  nothing  and  he  got  just  what  he 
expected.  Dear  friends,  let  us  expect  that  God  is  going 
to  use  us.  Let  us  have  courage  and  go  forward,  looking 
to  God  to  do  great  things. 


x6 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


Chasing  His  Shadow 

When  I  was  a  little  boy  I  tried  to  catch  my  shadow. 

I  don’t  know  if  you  were  ever  so  foolish;  but  I  remem¬ 
ber  running  after  it,  and  trying  to  get  ahead  of  it.  I 
could  not  see  why  the  shadow  always  kept  ahead  of  me. 
Once  I  happened  to  be  racing  with  my  face  to  the  sun, 
and  I  looked  over  my  head  and  saw  my  shadow  behind 
me,  and  it  kept  behind  me  all  the  way. 

It  is  the  same  with  the  Sun  of  Righteousness.  Peace 
and  joy  will  go  with  you  while  you  go  with  your  face 
toward  Him,  but  those  who  turn  their  backs  on  the  Sun 
are  in  darkness  all  the  time.  Turn  to  the  light  of  God, 
and  the  reflection  will  flash  in  your  heart. 

His  Minister’s  Bible 

If  I  have  a  right  to  cut  out  a  certain  portion  of  the 
Bible,  I  don’t  know  why  one  of  my  friends  has  not  a' 
right  to  cut  out  another,  and  another  friend  to  cut  out 
another  part,  and  so  on.  You  would  have  a  queer  kind 
of  Bible  if  everybody  cut  out  what  he  wanted  to!  Every 
adulterer  would  cut  out  everything  about  adultery;  every 
liar  would  cut  out  everything  about  lying;  every  drunk¬ 
ard  would  be  cutting  out  what  he  didn’t  like. 

Once  a  gentleman  took  his  Bible  around  to  his  min¬ 
ister,  and  said,  “That  is  your  Bible.’’ 

“Why  do  you  call  it  my  Bible?’’  said  the  minister. 

“Well,”  replied  the  gentleman,  “I  have  been  sitting 
under  your  preaching  for  five  years,  and  when  you  said 
that  a  thing  in  the  Bible  was  not  authentic,  I  cut  it  out.  ’’ 

He  had  about  a  third  of  the  Bible  cut  out;  all  of  Job, 
all  of  Ecclesiastes  and  Revelation,  and  a  good  deal 
besides.  The  minister  wanted  him  to  leave  the  Bible 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


17 


with  him;  he  didn’t  want  the  rest  of  his  congregation  to 
see  it.  But  the  man  said: 

“Oh,  no!  I  have  the  covers  left,  and  I  will  hold  on 
to  them.” 

And  off  he  went  holding  on  to  the  covers. 

Mocked  by  his  Children 

When  I  was  in  St.  Louis  some  years  ago,  there  was 
an  old  man  who  had  been  away  off  on  the  mountains  of 
an  ungodly  life,  but  in  his  early  manhood  he  had  known 
Christ.  He  came  into  the  inquiry-room,  literally  broken 
down.  About  midnight  that  old  man  came  trembling 
before  God  and  was  saved.  He  wiped  *away  his  tears, 
and  started  home. 

Next  night  I  saw  him  in  the  audience  with  a  terrible 
look  in  his  face.  As  soon  as  I  finished  preaching,  I  went 
to  him  and  said: 

“My  good  friend,  you  haven’t  gone  back  into  dark¬ 
ness  again?” 

Said  he:  “Oh,  Mr.  Moody,  it  has  been  the  most 
wretched  day  in  my  life.” 

“Why  so?” 

“Well,  this  morning  as  soon  as  I  got  my  breakfast,  I 
started  out.  I  have  a  number  of  children,  married,  and 
in  this  city,  and  they  have  families;  and  I  have  spent 
the  day  going  around  and  telling  them  what  God  has 
done  for  me.  I  told  them  how  I  had  tasted  salvation, 
with  the  tears  trickling  down  my  face;  and,  Mr.  Moody, 
I  hadn’t  a  child  that  didn’t  mock  me!” 

That  made  me  think  of  Lot  down  in  Sodom.  It  is  an 
awful  thing  for  a  man  who  has  been  a  backslider  to* have 
his  children  mock  him.  But  it  is  written :  “Thy  back- 
slidings  shall  reprove  thee;  know,  therefore,  and  see 


i8  " 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


that  it  is  an  evil  thing  and  bitter  that  thou  hast. forsaken 
the  Lord  thy  God.” 

No  Need  to  Read  Them 

A  great  many  people  say,  you  must  hear  both  sides; 
but  if  a  man  should  write  me  a  most  slanderous  letter 
about  my  wife,  I  don’t  think  I  would  have  to,  read  it;  I 
should  tear  it  up  and  throw  it  to  the  winds.  Have  I  to 
read  ail  the  infidel  books  that  are  written,  to  hear  both 
sides?  Have  I  to  take  up  a  book  that  is  a  slander  on  my 
Lord  and  Master,  who  has  redeemed  me  with  His  blood? 
Ten  thousand  times  no!  I  will  not  touch  it. 

Tolling  the  Bell 

•  I  well  remember  how  in  my  native  village  in  New 
England  it  used  to  be  customary,  as  a  funeral  procession 
left  the  church,  for  the  bell  to  toll  as  many  times  as  the 
deceased  was  years  old.  How  anxiously  I  would  count 
those  strokes  of  the  bell  to  see  how  long  I  might  reckon 
on  living!  Sometimes  there  would  be  seventy  or  eighty 
tolls,  and  I  would  give  a  sigh  of  relief  to  think  I  had  so 
many  years  to  live.  But  at  other  times  there  would  be 
only  a  few  years  tolled,  and  then  a  horror  would  seize 
me  as  I  thought  that  I,  too,  might  soon  be  claimed  as  a 
victim  by  that  dread  monster.  Death.  Death  and  judg¬ 
ment  were  a  constant  source  of  fear  to  me  till  I  real¬ 
ized  the  fact  that  neither  shall  ever  have  any  hold  on  a 
child  of  God.  In  his  letter  to  the  Romans  the  apostle 
Paul  has  showed,  in  most  direct  language,  that  there  is 
no  condemnation  for  a  child  of  God,  but  that  he  is 
passed  from  under  the  power  of  law,  and  in  the  Epistle 
to  the  Corinthians  he  tells  us  that  “there  is  a  natural 
body,  and  there  is  a  spiritual  body,”  “and  as  we  have 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


19 


borne  the  image  of  the  earthy,  we  shall  also  bear  the 
image  of  the  heavenly.” 

A  Father’s  Neglect 

A  Story  has  gone  the  round  of  the  American  press 
that  made  a  great  impression  upon  me  as  a  father.  A 
father  took  his  little  child  out  into  the  field  one  Sabbath, 
and,  it  being  a  hot  day,  he  lay  down  under  a  beautiful 
shady  tree.  The  little  child  ran  about  gathering  wild 
flowers  and  little  blades  of  grass,  and  coming  to  its 
father  and  saying: 

“Pretty!  pretty!” 

At  last  the  father  fell  asleep,  and  while  he  was  sleep¬ 
ing  the  little  child  wandered  away.  When  he  awoke, 
his  first  thought  was: 

“Where  is  my  child?” 

He  looked  all  around,  but  he  could  not  see  him.  He 
shouted  at  the  top  of  his  voice,  but  all  he  heard  was  the 
echo.  Running  to  a  little  hill,  he  looked  around  and 
shouted  again.  No  response!  Then  going  to  a  preci¬ 
pice  at  some  distance,  he  looked  down,  and  there,  upon 
the  rocks  and  briars,  he  saw  the  mangled  form  of  his 
loved  child.  He  rushed  ‘to  the  spot,  took  up  the  lifeless 
corpse,  and  hugged  it  to  his  bosom,  and  accused  him¬ 
self  of  being  the  murderer  of  his  child.  While  he  was 
sleeping  his  child  had  wandered  over  the  precipice. 

I  thought  as  I  read  that,  what  a  picture  of  the  church 
of  God !  How  many  fathers  and  mothers,  how  many 
Christian  men  and  women,  are  sleeping  now  while  their 
children  watider  over  the  terrible  precipice  right  into  the 
bottomless  pit!  Father,  mother,  where  is  your  boy  to¬ 
night? 


20 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


Worth  Ten  Thousand  Men 

Let  us  not  give  heed  to  gloomy  and  discouraging 
remarks.  In  the  name  of  our  great  Commander  let  us 
march  on  to  battle  and  to  victory.  There  are  some  gen¬ 
erals  whose  name  alone  is  worth  more  than  a  whole  army 
of  ten  thousand  men.  In  our  army  in  the  Civil  War 
there  were  some  whose  presence  sent  a  cheer  all  along 
the  line.  As  they  passed  on,  cheer  upon  cheer  went  up. 
The  men  knew  who-  was  going  to  lead  them,  and  they 
were  sure  of  having  success.  “The  boys'*  liked  to  fight 
under  such  generals  as  that.  Let  us  encourage  our¬ 
selves  In  the  Lord,  and  encourage  each  other;  then  we 
shall  have  good  success. 

“With  or  Without  Power” 

Doctor  Gordon  of  Boston  used  to  say  that  as  you 
passed  along  Washington  street  of  that  city,  or  Broad¬ 
way,  New  York,  you  might  see  stores  with  the  card  in 
the  window,  “To  rent,  with  or  without  power,”  and  any 
one  could  rent  the  store,  and  by  paying  something  extra 
could  have  power  furnished  from  the  engine  in  the  rear. 
Doctor  Gordon  thought  it  would  be  a  good  thing  to  ask 
men  and  women  when  they  joined  the  church  if  they 
wanted  to  be  a  member  on  the  “with  power”  or  the 
“without  power”  basis,  and  if  the  latter,  to  tell  them 
there  were  no  vacancies  for  that  kind  in  the  church,  it 
already  had  too  many  members  without  power. 

Turning  on  the  Tap 

A  man  who  lived  on  the  bank  of  Lake  Erie  had  water 
pipes  laid  to  his  house  from  the  lake;  and  when  he 
wanted  water  all  he  had  to  do  was  to  turn  the  tap  and 
the  water  flowed  in.  If  the  government  had  presented 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


21 


him  with  the  lake  he  would  not  have  known  what  to  do 
with  it.  So  we  may  say  that  if  God  were  to  give  us 
grace  enough  for  a  lifetime,  we  should  not  know  how  to 
use  it.  He  has  given  us  the  privilege  of  drawing  on  Him 
day  by  day — not  “forty  days  after  sight.”  There  is 
plenty  of  grace  in  the  bank  of  heaven;  we  need  not  be 
afraid  of  its  becoming  exhausted.  . 

Keep  Close  1 

The  late  Dr.  Andrew  Bonar  once  remarked  in  his  . 
own  quaint  fashion  that  it  was  always  easy  to  trace  the 
footprints  of  a  person  if  we  walked  close  behind  him,  but 
if  we  were  some  distance  back  we  might  fail  to  find 
them;  and  accordingly,  if  we  followed  close  after  the 
Master  we  would  easily  see  the  way,  but  if  we  tried  to 
follow  afar  off  we  would  find  it  difficult  to  know  the  path 
of  His  will. 

On  Both  Knees 

William  Dawson  once  told  this  story  to  illustrate  how 
humble  the  soul  must  be  before  it  can  find  peace. 

He  said  that  at  a  revival  meeting  a  little  lad  who  was 
used  to  Methodist  ways,  went  home  to  his  mother  and 
said : 

“Mother,  John  So-and-so  is  under  conviction  and 
seeking  for  peace,  but  he  will  not  find  it  to-night, 
mother.  “ 

“Why,  William?”  said  she. 

“Because  he  is  only  down  on  one  knee,  mother,  and 
he  will  never  get  peace  until  he  is  down  on  both  knees.” 

Until  conviction  of  sin  brings  us  down  on  both  knees, 
until  we  are  completely  humbled,  until  we  have  no  hope 
in  ourselves  left,  we  cannot  find  the  Savior. 


22 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


,  Something  New 

A  great  many  people  seem  to  think  that  the  Bible  is 
out  of  date,  that  it  is  an  old  book,  that  it  has  passed  its 
day.  They  say  it  was  very  good  for  the  dark  ages,  and 
that  there  is  some  very  good  history  in  it,  but  it  was  not 
intended  for  the  present  time;  we  are  living  in  a  very 
enlightened  age  and  men  can  get  on  very  well  without 
it;  we  have  outgrown  it. 

Now,  you  might  just  as  well  say  that  the  sun,  which 
has  shone  so  long,  is  now  so  old  that  it  is  out  of  date, 
and  that  whenever  a  man  builds  a  house  he  need  not  put 
any  windows  in  it,  because  we  have  a  newer  light  and  a 
better  light;  we  have  gaslight  and  electric  light.  These 
are  something  new;  and  I  would  advise  people,  if  they 
think  the  Bible  is  too  old  and  worn  out,  when  they  build 
houses,  not  to  put  windows  in  them,  but  just  to  light 
them  with  electric  light;  that  is  something  new  and  that 
is  what  they  are  anxious  for. 

Bidding  Christ  Farewell 

A  rule  I  have  had  for  years  is  to  treat  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  as  a  personal  friend.  It  is  not  a  creed,  a  mere 
empty  doctrine,  but  it  is  Christ  Himself  we  have.  The 
moment  we  receive  Christ  we  should  receive  Him  as  a 
friend.  When  I  go  away  from  home  I  bid  my  wife  and 
children  good-bye;  I  bid  my  friends  and  accjuaintances 
good-bye;  but  I  never  heard  of  a  poor  backslider  going 
down  on  his  knees  and  saying: 

“I  have  been  near  You  for  ten  years.  Your  service 
has  become  tedious  and  monotonous.  I  have  come  to 
bid  You  farewell.  Good-bye,  Lord  Jesus  Christ!” 

I  never  heard  of  one  doing  this.  I  will  tell  you  how 
they  go  away;  they  just  run  away. 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


23 


Any  One  Can  Believe 

God  has  put  the  offer  of  salvation  in  such  a  way  that 
the  whole  world  can  lay  hold  of  it.  All  men  can  believe. 
A  Itme  man  might  not  perhaps  be  able  to  visit  the  sick; 
but  he  can  believe.  A  blind  man,  by  reason  of  his  infirm» 
ity,  cannot  do  many  things ;  but  he  can  believe.  A  deaf 
man  can  believe.  A  dying  man  can  believe.  God  has  put 
salvation  so  simply  that  young  and  old,  wise  and  foolish, 
rich  and  poor,  can  all  believe  if  they  will. 

The  Wrath  of  God  Was  on  Him 

I  heard  of  a  rich  man  who  was  asked  to  make  a  con¬ 
tribution  on  behalf  of  some  charitable  object.  The  text 
was  quoted  to  him — “He  that  hath  pity  upon  the  poor 
lendeth  unto  the  Lord ;  and  that  which  he  hath  given 
will  He  pay  him  again.”  He  said  that  the  security 
might  be  good  enough,  but  the  credit  was  too  long.  He 
was  dead  within  two  weeks. 

The  War  was  Ended 

During  the  last  days  of  the  Civil  War,  when  many 
men  were  deserting  the  Southern  flag.  Secretary  Stanton 
sent  out  a  notice  from  the  war  department  that  no  more 
refugees  should  be  taken  into  the  Union  army. 

A  Southern  soldier  who  had  not  seen  that  order  came 
into  the  Union  lines,  and  they  read  it  to  him.  He  didn’t 
know  what  to  do.  If  he  went  back  into  the  Southern 
army  he  would  be  shot  as  a  deserter,  and  the  Northern 
army  wouldn’t  have  him.  So  he  went  into  the  woods, 
and  stayed  there,  living  on  roots  and  whatever  else  he 
could  get,  until  finally  he  was  starving. 

One  day  he.  saw  an  officer  riding  by.  He  rushed  out 
of  the  woods,  caught  the  horse’s  bridle,  and  said  he 


24 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


would  kilj  the  officer  if  he  didn’t  help  him.  The  officer 
asked  what  was  the  trouble,  and  he  told  him. 

“But  haven’t  you  heard  the  news?’’  said  the  officer. 

“No;  what  news?” 

“Why,  the  war  is  over!  Lee  has  surrendered,  and 
peace  has  been  declared.  Go  to  the  nearest  town  and  get 
all  the  food  you  want.” 

The  man  waved  his  hat,  and  went  off  as  fast  as  he 
could. 

I  want  to  say  that  peace  has  been  declared  between 
God  and  man.  Be  reconciled  to  God.  The  blood  is  on 
the  mercy-seat,  and  the  vilest  sinner  can  be  saved  for 
time  and  eternity. 

Nearer  than  he  Thought 

I  was  reading,  some  time  ago,  of  a  young  man  who 
had  just  come  out  of  a  saloon,  and  had  mounted  his 
horse.  As  a  certain  deacon  passed  on  his  way  to  church, 
he  followed  and  said; 

“Deacon,  can  you  tell  me  how  far  it  is  to  hell?” 

The  deacon’s  heart  was  pained  to  think  that  a  young 
man  like  that  should  talk  so  lightly;  but  he  passed  on 
and  said  nothing.  When  he  came  round  the  corner  to 
the  church,  he  found  that  the  horse  had  thrown  that 
young  man,  and  he  was  dead.  You,  too,  may  be  nearer 
the  judgment  than  you  think. 

Its  Strength  was  Underestimated 

Some  of  the  older  people  can  remember  when  our 
Civil  War  broke  out.  Secretary  Seward,  who  was  Lin¬ 
coln’s  Secretary  of  State — a  long-headed  and  shrewd 
politician — prophesied  that  the  war  would  be  over  in 
ninety  days;  and  young  men  in  thousands  and  hundreds 


MOODY'S  STORIES 


25 


of  thousands  came  forward  and  volunteered  to  go  down 
to  Dixie  and  whip  the  South.  They  thought  they  would 
be  back  in  ninety  days;  but  the  war  lasted  four  years, 
and  cost  about  half  a  million  of  lives.  What  was  the 
matter?  Why,  the  South  was  a  good  deal  stronger  than 
the  North  supposed.  Its  strength  was  underestimated. 

Jesus  Christ  makes  no  mistake  of  that  kind.  When 
He  enlists  a  man  in  His  service,  He  shov/s  him  the 
dark  side;  He  lets  him  know  that  he  must  live  a  life  of 
self-denial.  If  a  man  is  not  willing  to  go  to  heaven  by 
the  way  of  Calvary,  he  cannot  go  at  all.  Many  men  want 
a  religion  in  which  there  is  no  cross,  but  they  cannot 
enter  heaven  that  way.  If  we  are  to  be  disciples  of 
Jesus  Christ,  we  must  deny  ourselves  and  take  up  our 
cross  and  follow  Him.  So  let  us  sit  down  and  count  the 
cost.  Do  not  think  that  you  will  have  no  battles  if  you 
follow  the  Nazarene,  because  many  battles  are  before 
you.  Yet  if  I  had  ten  thousand  lives,  Jesus  Christ 
should  have  every  one  of  them.  Men  do  not  object  to 
a  battle  if  they  are  confident  that  they  will  have  victory, 
and,  thank  God,  every  one  of  us  may  have  the  victory 
if  we  will. 

Seeing  the  Gospel 

“Have  you  ever  heard  the  Gospel?”  asked  a  mission¬ 
ary  of  a  Chinaman,  whom  he  had  not  seen  in  his  mission 
before. 

“No,”  he  replied,  “but  I  have  seen  it.  I  know  a 
man  who  used  to  be  the  terror  of  his  neighborhood.  He 
was  a  bad  opium  smoker  and  dangerous  as  a  wild  beast; 
but  he  became  wholly  changed.  He  is  now  gentle  and 
good  and  has  left  off  opium.” 


26 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


Illuminated  Christians 


We  see  very  few  illuminated  Christians  now.  If 
every  one  of  us  was  illuminated  by  the  Spirit  of  God. 
how  we  could  light  up  the  churches!  But  to  have  a  lan¬ 
tern  without  any  light,  that  would  be  a  nuisance.  Many 
Christians  carry  along  lanterns  and  say,  “I  wouldn’l 
give  up  my  religion  for  yours.”  They  talk  about  relr 
gion.  The  religion  that  has  no  fire  is  like  painted  fire. 
They  are  artificial  Christians.  Do  you  belong  to  that 
class?  You  can  tell.  If  you  can’t,  your  friends  can. 

T  here  is  a  fable  of  an  old  lantern  in  a  shed,  which 
began  to  boast  because  it  had  heard  its  master  say  he 
didn’t  know  what  he  would  ever  do  without  it.  But  the 
little  candle  within  spoke  up  and  said:  “Yes,  you’d  be 
a  great  comfort  if  it  wasn  t  for  me!  You  are  nothing: 
I’m  the  one  that  gives  the  light.”  We  are  nothing,  but 
Christ  is  everything,  and  what  we  want  is  to  keep  in 
communion  with  Him  and  let  Christ  dwell  in  us  richly 
and  shine  forth  through  us. 

I  have  a  match  box  with  a  phosphorescent  front.  It 
draws  in  the  rays  of  the  sun  during  the  day  and  then 
throws  them  out  in  the  dead  hours  of  the  night,  so  that  I 
can  always  see  it  in  the  dark.  Now,  that  is  what  we 
ought  to  be,  constantly  drawing  in  the  rays  of  the  Sun  of 
Righteousness  and  then  giving  them  out.  Some  one  said 
to  some  young  converts,  “It  is  all  moonshine  being  con¬ 
verted.”  They  replied,  “Thank  you  for  the  compli¬ 
ment.  The  moon  borrows  light  from  the  sun,  and  so  we 
borrow  ours  from  the  Sun  of  Righteousness.”  That  is 
what  takes  place  when  we  have  this  illumination. 


fi 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


27 


Not  Ashamed  of  his  Lord 

A  young  convert  tried  to  preach  in  the  open  air;  he 
could  not  preach  very  well  either,  but  he  did  the  best  he 
could.  Some  one  interrupted  him  and  said: 

“Young  man,  you  cannot  preach;  you  ought  to  be 
ashamed  of  yourself.” 

Said  the  young  man, “So  I  am,  but  I  am  not  ashamed 
of  my  Lord.  ” 

That  is  right.  Do  not  be  ashamed  of  Christ — of  the 
Man  that  bought  us  with  His  own  blood. 

He  Silenced  the  Devil 

If  you  find  yourself  getting  very  miserly,  begin  to 
scatter,  like  a  wealthy  farmer  in  New  York  state  1  heard 
of.  He  was  a  noted  miser,  but  he  was  converted.  Soon 
after,  a  poor  man  who  had  been  burned  out  and  had  no 
provisions  came  to  him  for  help.  The  farmer  thought 
he  would  be  liberal  and  give  the  man  a  ham  from  his 
smoke-house.  On  his  way  to  get  it,  the  tempter  whis¬ 
pered  to  him: 

“Give  him  the  smallest  one  you  have.” 

He  had  a  struggle  whether  he  would  give  a  large  or  a 
small  ham,  but  finally  he  took  down  the  largest  he  could 
find. 

“You  are  a  fool,”  the  devil  said. 

“If  you  don’t  keep  still,”  the  farmer  replied,  “I  will 
give  him  every  ham  I  have  in  the  smoke-house.” 

Warm  the  Wax  ! 

A  gentleman  in  Ireland  had  a  seal  made  for  me. 
“D.L.  M.  ”  is  on  one  side,  and  on  the  other,  “God is  love.  ” 
If  I  want  to  stamp  “God  is  love”  I  would  not  make 
much  headway  if  the  wax  was  hard  and  cold.  Many 


28 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


people  go  to  meetings,  and  it  is  as  hard  to  make  an 
impression  on  them  as  in  pressing  a  seal  on  hard  wax. 
But  let  the  wax  be  warmed  up  and  an  impression  is  made,  I 
If  we  are  willing,  every  one  of  us  may  be  sealed  for  the 
day  of  redemption.  “In  whom  ye  also  trusted  after 
that  ye  heard  the  Word  of  Truth,  the  Gospel  of  your  sal¬ 
vation  j  in  whom  also  after  that  ye  believed,  ye  were 
sealed  with  that  Holy  Spirit  of  promise.” 

Draw  Nearer 

When  I  was  a  boy  my  mother  used  to  send  me  out 
doors  to  get  a  birch  stick  to  whip  me  with,  when  I  had 
to  be  punished.  At  first  I  used  to  stand  off  from  the 
rod  as  far  as  I  could.  But  I  soon  found  that  the  whip¬ 
ping  hurt  me  more  that  way  than  any  other;  and  so  I 
went  as  near  to  my  mother  as  I  could,  and  found  she 
could  not  strike  me  so  hard.  And  so  when  God  chastens 
us  let  us  kiss  the  rod  and  draw  as  near  to  Him  as  we  can. 

The  Panorama  Looks  Brighter 

“When  a  panorama  is  to  pass  before  an  audience,  the 
artist  darkens  the  room  in  which  they  sit,  so  that  the 
picture  may  be  more  fully  seen.  So  God  sometimes 
darkens  our  place  on  earth,  puts  out  this  light  and  that, 
and  then  before  our  souls  He  makes  to  pass  the  splen¬ 
dors  and  glories  of  the  better  land.” 

All  Things  Work  for  Good 

There  is  one  passage  of  Scripture  which  has  always 
been  a  great  comfort  to  me.  In  the  eighth  chapter  of 
Romans  Paul  says:  “All  things  work  together  for  good 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


29 


to  them  that  love  God.”  Some  years  ago  a  child  of 
mine  had  scarlet  fever.  I  went  to  the  druggist’s  to  get 
the  medicine  which  the  doctor  had  ordered,  and  told 
him  to  be  sure  and  be  very  careful  in  making  up  the 
prescription.  The  druggist  took  down  one  bottle  after 
another,  in  any  one  of  which  there  might  be  what  would 
be  rank  poison  for  my  child;  but  he  stirred  them 
together  and  mixed  them  up,  and  made  just  the  medicine 
which  my  child  needed.  And  so  God  gives  us  a  little 
adversity  here,  a  little  prosperity  there,  and  all  works 
for  our  good. 


It  Takes  Time 

Suppose  I  should  send  my  little  boy,  five  years  old, 
to  school  to-morrow  morning,  and  when  he  came  home 
in  the  afternoon,  say  to  him: 

“Willie,  can  you  read?  can  you  write?  can  you  spell? 
Do  you  understari:/  all  about  algebra,  geometry,  Hebrew, 
Latin  and  Greek?” 

“Why,  papa,”  the  little  fellow  would  say,  “how  funny 
you  talk.  I  have  been  all  day  trying  to  learn  the 
A,  B,  C’s!” 

Suppose  I  should  reply:  “If  you  have  not  finished 
your  education,  you  need  not  go  any  more.”  What 
would  you  say?  Why,  you  would  say  I  had  gone  mad! 

There  would  be  just  as  much  reason  in  that  as  in  the 
way  that  people  talk  about  the  Bible.  The  men  who 
have  studied  the  Bible  for  fifty  years  have  never  got 
down  to  the  depths  of  it  yet.  There  are  truths  there 
that  the  church  of  God  has  been  searching  out  for 
the  last  nineteen  hundred  years,  but  no  man  has  yet 
fathomed  the  depths  of  the  ever-living  stream. 


30 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


Something  God  Cannot  Do 

In  Ireland,  some  time  ago,  a  teacher  asked  a  little 
boy  if  there  was  anything  that  God  could  not  do.  The 
little  fellow  said: 

“Yes,  He  cannot  see  my  sins  through  the  blood  of 
Christ.” 


It  Seemed  Too  Good  to  be  True 
Some  time  ago  I  read  in  one  of  the  daily  papers  a 
thing  that  pleased  me  very  much.  When  the  new  ad¬ 
ministration  of  President  McKinley  went  into  office  some 
clerks  in  one  of  the  departments  were  promoted.  One 
young  lady  was  offered  a  promotion,  but  she  went  to  see 
the  secretary.  General  Butterworth,  and  said  that  there 
was  a  girl  sitting  next  to  her  that  had  a  family  to  sup¬ 
port.  A  brother  who  had  been  supporting  the  family  had 
died,  or  sickened,  and  it  had  fallen  upon  her,  and  she 
asked  the  general  to  let  her  friend  that  sat  next  to  her 
have  the  promotion  in  her  place. 

The  general  said  that  he  had  heard  of  such  things  in 
other  generations,  but  he  didn’t  know  that  it  would  ever 
happen  in  his  generation.  He  was  amazed  to  find  a 
person  on  duty  in  Washington  that  was  willing  to  give 
up  her  position  and  take  a  lower  one,  and  let  some  one 
else  have  it  that  she  might  be  able  to  help  her  family.  - 
In  Colorado  the  superintendent  of  some  works  told  me 
of  a  miner  that  was  promoted,  who  came  to  the  super¬ 
intendent,  and  said: 

“There  is  a  man  that  has  seven  children,  and  I  have 
only  three,  and  he  is  having  a  hard  struggle.  Don’t 
promote  me,  but  promote  him.’’ 

I  know  of  nothing  that  speaks  louder  for  Christ  and 
Christianity  than  to  see  a  man  or  woman  giving  up  what 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


31 


you  call  your  rights  for  others,  and  “ia  honor  preferring 
one  another.  ” 


The  Scarlet  Thread 

In  the  British  Navy  there  is  said  to  be  a  scarlet 
thread  running  through  every  line  of  cordage,  and 
though  a  rope  be  cut  into  inch  pieces  it  can  be  recog¬ 
nized  as  belonging  to  the  government.  So  there  is  a 
scarlet  thread  running  all  through  the  Bible — the  whole 
book  points  to  Christ. 

The  First  “Don’t  Worry  Club” 

Mrs.  Sangster  says  that  we  hear  a  good  deal  in  this 
age,  as  if  it  were  a  novelty,  about  the  futility  of  being 
anxious,  and  people  have  established  “Don’t  Worry 
Clubs.”  But  the  first  “Don’t  Worry  Club”  was  begun 
by  our  blessed  Lord  Himself  when  He  said:  “Take  no 
thought  for  the  morrow,  for  the  morrow  shall  take 
thought  for  the  things  of  itself.  Sufficient  unto  the  day 
is  the  evil  thereof.”  He  bade  us  consider  the  lilies 
growing  in  their  beauty  and  purity  without  a  thought, 
and  taught  us  the  true  way  of  living  without  care,  with¬ 
out  solicitude,  bearing  all  burdens  lightly,  and  having 
continual  joy  on  our  faces.  Only  those  who  have  the 
indwelling  Christ  in  their  hearts  can  walk  through  this 
world  with  bright  and  glad  looks,  because  they  know 
that,  let  come  what  may,  their  Father  is  leading  them 
safely, 

The  Story  Followed  Him 

While  I  was  at  a  convention  in  Illinois  an  old  man 
past  seventy  years,  got  up,  and  said  he  remembered  but 
one  thing  about. his  father,  and  that  one  thing  followed 
him  all  through  life.  He  could  not  remember  his  death, 


32 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


he  had  no  recollection  of  his  funeral,  but  he  recollectec 
his  father  one  winter  ‘night  taking  a  little  chip,  and  wit! 
his  pocket-knife  whittling  out  a  little  cross,  and  with  th( 
tears  in  his  eyes  he  held  up  that  cross,  telling  how  Goc 
in  His  infinite  love  sent  His  Son  down  here  to  redeen 
us,  and  how  He  had  died  on  the  cross  for  us.  The  storj 
of  the  cross  followed  him  through  life;  and  if  we  tel 
children  these  truths,  they  will  never  forget  them.  | 

The  Fatal  Sleep  . 

Some  time  ago  a  vessel  had  been  off  on  a  whaling  voy¬ 
age,  and  had  been  gone  about  three  years.  The  fathei 
of  one  of  the  sailors  had  charge  of  the  light-house,  and 
he  was  expecting  his  boy  to  come  home.  It  was  time 
for  the  whaling-vessel  to  return.  One  night  there  came 
up  a  terrible  gale.  This  father  fell  asleep,  and  while  he 
slept  his  light  went  out.  When  he  awoke  he  looked 
toward  the  shore  and  saw  a  vessel  had  been  wrecked. 
He  at  once  went  to  see  if  he  could  not  yet  save  some  one 
who  might  be  still  alive.  The  first  body  that  came  float¬ 
ing  toward  the  shore  was,  to  his  great  grief  and  surprise,; 
the  body  of  his  own  boy!  He  had  been  watching  for 
that  boy  for  many  days.  Now  the  boy  had  at  last  come 
in  sight  of  home,  and  had  perished  because  his  father 
had  let  his  light  go  out!  '% 

I  thought,  what  an  illustration  of  fathers  and  mothers 
to-day  that  have  let  their  lights  go  out!  You  are  not 
training  your  children  for  God  and  eternity.  You  do  not 
live  as  though  there  were  anything  beyond  this  life  at: 
all.  You  keep  your  affections  set  upon  things  on  the^ 
earth  instead  of  on  things  above,  and  the  result  is  thatsJ 
the  children  do  not  believe  there  is  anything  in  Chris- ; 
tiani'y.  Perhaps  the  very  next  step  they  take  may  take  i 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


3S 


lem  into  eternity;  the  next  day  they  may  die  without 
od  and  without  hope. 

That  Love  is  Spontaneous 

Some  time  ago,  in  an  inquiry  meeting,  I  said  to  a 
Dung  miss  who  said  that  she  could  not  love  God,  that 

was  very  hard  for  her  to  love  Him : 

“Is  it  hard  for  you  to  love  your  mother?  Do  you 
ave  to  learn  to  love  your  mother?” 

She  looked  up  through  her  tears,  and  said,  “No;  I 
in’t  help  it;  that  is  spontaneous.” 

“Well,”  I  said,  “when  the  Holy  Spirit  kindles  love 
i  your  heart,  you  can  not  help  loving  God;  it  will  be 
Dontaneous.  ” 

When  the  Spirit  of  God  comes  into  your  heart  and 
line,  it  will  be  easy  to  love  and  serve  God. 

The  Summing  Up  of  His  Life 

A  man  was  taken  into  one  of  our  insane  asylums  a 
jw  years  ago  from  one  of  the  Western  cities.  He  had 
^solved  to  be  rich.  How  he  turned  every  stone  to 
ccumulate  wealth!  All  his  energy  and  every  faculty  were 
ushed  toward  that  one  end.  “Wealth,  wealth,  wealth! 
loney,  money,  money!”  was  his  cry.  At  last  it  drove 
im  mad,  and  they  took  him  to  the  mad-house,  where  he 
irew  himself  into  a  rocking-chair,  and  cried : 

“Millions  of  money,  and  in  a  mad-house!” 

That  was  all  there  was  of  his  life.  Pretty  shorty 
'asn’t  it?  Sixty  years  gone,  millions  of  money,  and  in 

mad-house;  and  he  died  there.  That  was  the  sum- 
ling  up  of  his  life. 


34 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


Beautiful  Motion  but  No  Progress 

Many  people  are  working  and  working,  as  Rowland 
Hill  said,  like  children  on  a  rocking-horse — it  is  a  beau¬ 
tiful  motion,  but  there  is  no  progress.  Those  who  are 
working  for  salvation  are  like  men  on  a  treadmill,  going 
round  and  round  and  round;  toiling  and  toiling  and 
toiling;  but  nothing  comes  of  it  all.  There  is  no  prog¬ 
ress,  and  there  cannot  be  until  you  have  the  motive 
power  within,  till  the  breath  of  life  comes  from  God, 
w^hich  can  alone  give  you  power  to  work  for  others. 

Get  It  into  Your  Heart 

“Thy  word  have  I  hid  in  my  heart  that  I  might  not 
sin  against  thee.”  An  old  Scotchman  says:  “It  is  a 
good  thing  in  a  good  place  for  a  good  purpose.”  Many 
people  have  the  Bible  in  their  heads,  or  in  their  pockets; 
but  we  need  to  get  it  down  into  our  hearts. 

t 

How  the  Miners  were  Saved 

In  the  north  of  England  they  have  been  digging  the 
coal  for  a  century.  They  have  gone  miles  and  miles' 
away  from  the  shaft,  under  the  sea,  and  there  is  danger 
of  men  getting  lost.  I  heard  of  two  old  miners  who  lost 
their  way.  Their  lights  went  out,  and  they  were  in  dan¬ 
ger  of  losing  their  lives.  After  wandering  around  for  a 
long  time,  they  sat  down,  and  one  of  them  said: 

“Let  us  sit  perfectly  quiet,  and  see  if  we  cannot  feel ' 
which  way  the  air  is  moving,  because  it  always  moves  < 
toward  the  shaft.  ’ ' 

There  they  sat  for  a  long  time,  when  all  at  once  one  ■ 
of  them  felt  a  slight  touch  on  his  cheek,  and  he  sprang  i 
to  his  feet  and  said : 

“I  felt  it” 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


35 


They  went  in  the  direction  in  which  the  air  was  mov¬ 
ing,  and  reached  the  shaft. 

Sometimes  there  comes  a  little  breath  from  God  that 
touches  our  souls.  It  may  be  so  gentle  and  faint  that 
you  barely  recognize  it;  but  if  you  do,  do  not  disregard 
it.  Thank  God  that  He  lias  spoken  to  you,  and  praise 
Him  for  it,  and  whatever  may  come  do  not  go  in  the 
opposite  direction.  Give  yourself  up  to  be  led  by  it,  and 
you  will  come  out  of  darkness,  out  of  bondage,  out  of 
sorrow,  into  perpetual  light  and  joy. 

Receiving  and  Never  Giving 

What  makes  the  Dead  Sea  dead?  Because  it  is  all 
the  time  receiving,  never  giving  out  anything.  Why  is 
it  that  many  Christians  are  cold?  Because  they  are  all 
the  time  receiving,  never  giving  out  anything. 

Dumb  Christians 

It  is  a  very  sad  thing  that  so  many  of  God’s  children 
are  dumb;  yet  it  is  true.  Parents  would  think  it  a  great 
calamity  to  have  their  children  born  dumb ;  they  would 
mourn  over  it,  and  weep;  and  well  they  might;  but  did 
you  ever  think  of  the  many  dumb  children  God  has? 
The  churches  are  full  of  them;  they  never  speak  for 
Christ.  They  can  talk  about  politics,  art,  and  science; 
they  can  speak  well  enough  and  fast  enough  about  the 
fashions  of  the  day;  but  they  have  no  voice  for  the  Son 
of  God.  V 

Like  Siamese  Twins 

Covetousness  and  stealing  are  almost  like  Siamese 
twins — they  go  together  so  often.  In  fact  we  might  add 
lying,  and  make  them  triplets.  “The  covetous  person 
is  a  thief  in  the  shell.  The  thief  is  a  covetous  perscp 


3^ 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


out  of  the  shell.  Let  a  covetous  person  see  sk>mething 
that  he  desires  very  much ;  let  an  opportunity  of  taking 
it  be  offered ;  how  very  soon  he  will  break  through  the 
shell  and  come  out  in  his  true  character  as  a  thief.** 
The  Greek  word  translated  “covetousness”  means— an 
inordinate  desire  of  getting.  When  the  Gauls  tasted 
the  sweet  wines  of  Italy,  they  asked  where  they  came 
from,  and  never  rested  until  they  had  overrun  Italy. 

Not  Troubled  with  Doubts 

One  of  the  happiest  men  I  ever  knew  was  a  man  in 
Dundee,  Scotland,  who  had  fallen  and  broken  his  back 
when  he  was  a  boy  of  fifteen.  He  had  lain  on  his 
bed  for  about  forty  years,  and  could  not  be  moved  with- 
out  a  good  deal  of  pain.  Probably  not  a  day  had  passed 
in  all  those  years  without  acute  suffering.  But  day  after 
day  the  grace  of  God  had  been  granted  to  him,  and  when 
I  was  in  his  chamber  it  seemed  as  if  I  was  as  near  heaven 
as  I  could  get  on  earth.  I  can  imagine  that  when  the 
angels  passed  over  Dundee,  they  had  to  stop  there  to 
get  refreshed. 

When  I  saw  him,  I  thought  he  must  be  beyond  the 
reach  of  the  tempter,  and  I  asked  him:  “Doesn’t  Satan 
ever  tempt  you  to  doubt  God,  and  to  think  that  He  is  a 
hard  Master?” 

Oh,  yes,”  he  said,  “he  does  try  to  tempt  me.  I  lie 
here  and  see  my  old  schoolmates  driving  along  in  their 
carriages,  and  Satan  says:  Hf  God  is  so  good,  why 
does  He  keep  you  here  all  these  years?  You  might  have 
been  a  rich  man,  riding  in  your  own  carriage.’  Then  I' 
see  a  man  who  was  young  when  I  was  walk  by  in  perfect 
health,  and  Satan  whispers:  ‘If  God  loved  you,  couldn’t 
He  have  kept  you  from  breaking  your  back?*  ” 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


37 


“What  do  you  do  when  Satan  tempts  you?” 

“Ah,  I  just  take  him  to  Calvary,  and  I  show  him 
Christ,  and  I  point  out  those  wounds  in  His  hands  and 
feet  and  side,  and  say,  ‘Doesn’t  He  love  me?’  and  the 
fact  is,  he  got  such  a  scare  there  eighteen  hundred  years 
ago  that  he  cannot  stand  it;  he  leaves  me  every  time.” 

That  bedridden  saint  had  not  much  trouble  with 
doubts ;  he  was  too  full  of  the  grace  of  God. 

Honey-Dew 

I  have  sometimes  been  in  a  place  where  the  very  air 
seemed  to  be  charged  with  the  breath  of  God,  like 
the  moisture  in  the  air.  I  remember  one  time  as  I  went 
through  the  woods  near  Mount  Hermon  school  I  heard 
bees,  and  asked  what  it  meant. 

“Oh,”  said  one  of  the  men,  “they  are  after  the  honey- 
dew.  ’  ’ 

“What  is  that?”  I  asked. 

He  took  a  chestnut  leaf  and  told  me  to  put  my  tongue 
to  it.  I  did  so,  and  the  taste  was  sweet  as  honey.  Upon 
inquiry  I  found  that  all  up  and  down  the  Connecticut 
valley  what  they  call  “honey-dew”  had  fallen,  so  that 
there  must  have  been  altogether  hundreds  of  tons  of 
honey-dew  in  this  region.  Where  it  comes  from  I  don’t 
know. 

Do  you  suppose  that  this  earth  would  be  worth  living 
on  if  it  were  not  for  the  dew  and  the  rain?  So  a  church 
that  hasn’t  any  of  the  dew  of  heaven,  any  of  the  rain 
that  comes  down  in  showers,  will  be  as  barren  as  the 
earth  would  be  without  the  dew  and  rain. 


3« 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


A  Personal  Matter 

"“The  life  of  Christianity,”  says  Luther,  “consists  of 
pergonal  pronouns.  It  is  one  thing  to  say,  ‘Christ  is  a 
Savior.  It  is  quite  another  to  say,  ‘He  is  my  Savior.’ 
The  devil  can  say  the  first.  Only  the  true  Christian  can 
say  the  second.  ” 

They  Knew  It 

Let  me  tell  you  how  I  had  my  eyes  opened  about  the 
theater  question.  I  had  an  assistant  superintendent  of 
a  Sabbath  school,  a  very  promising  young  man,  who 
seemed  to  be  very  happy  in  the  work.  A  star  actor 
came  to  the  city,  and  he  went  to  see  him.  I  knew  noth- 
ing  of  it,  but  the  next  Sunday  when  he  came  into  the 
Sunday-school  all  over  the  building  the  boys  cried  out: 

“Hypocrite!  Hypocrite!” 

The  perspiration  started  out  of  every  pore  of  my 
body;  I  thought  they  were  looking  at  me.  I  said  to  the 
little  newsboys: 

“Who  are  you  calling  a  hypocrite?” 

They  mentioned  the  assistant’s  name.  I  asked  the 
reason,  and  they  said: 

“We  saw  him  going  into  the  theater.” 

I  had  never  said  anything  about  the  theater  to  those 
children,  but  they  saw  that  man  going  in,  and  called 
him  a  hypocrite.  They  seemed  to  know  it  was  no  place 
for  a  Christian  to  go.  He  lost  his  influence  entirely, 
withdrew  from  the  school,  and  after  a  while  gave  up 
Christian  work  altogether.  He  was  just  swept  along 
with  the  tide  in  Chicago  and  his  influence  was  lost. 

Pull  for  the  Shore 

A  vessel  was  wrecked  off  the  shore.  Eager  eyes  were 
watching  and  strong  arms  manned  the  life-boat.  For 


MOODY'S  STORIES 


39 


hours  they  tried  to  reach  that  vessel  through  the  great 
breakers  that  raged  and  foamed  on  the  sand-bank,  but  it 
seemed  impossible.  The  boat  appeared  to  be  leaving 
the  crew  to  perish.  But  after  a  while  the  captain  and 
sixteen  men  were  taken  off,  and  the  vessel  went  down. 

“When  the  life-boat  came  to  you,”  said  a  friend, 
“did  you  expect  it  had  brought  some  tools  to  repair 
your  old  ship?” 

“Oh,  no,”  was  the  response;  “she  was  a  total  wreck. 
Two  of  her  masts  were  gone,  and  if  we  had  stayed  mend¬ 
ing  h'er  only  a  few  minutes,  we  must  have  gone  down 
sir.” 

“When  once  off  the  old  wreck  and  safe  in  the  life¬ 
boat  what  remained  for  you  to  do?” 

“Nothing,  sir,  but  just  to  pull  for  the  shore.” 

Man  can’t  save  himself.  He  has  been  wrecked  by 
sin,  and  his  only  safety  lies  in  taking  Jesus  Christ  as  his 
Savior. 


Easy,  and  Yet  Difficult 

It  is  the  easiest  thing  in  the  world  to  become  a  Chris¬ 
tian,  and  it  is  also  the  most  difficult.  You  say:  “That 
is  a  contradiction,  a  paradox.”  I  will  illustrate  what  I 
mean. 

A  little  nephew  of  mine,  a  few  years  ago,  took  my 
Bible  and  threw  it  down  on  the  floor.  His  mother  said, 

“Charlie,  pick  up  uncle’s  Bible.” 

The  little  fellow  said  he  would  not. 

“Charlie,  do  you  know  what  that  word  means?” 

She  soon  found  out  that  he  did,  and  that  he  was  not 
going  to  pick  up  the  Book.  His  will  had  come  right  up 
against  his  mother’s  will. 

I  began  to  be  quite  interested  in  the  struggle;  I  knew 


40 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


if  she  did  not  break  his  will,  he  would  some  day  break 
her  heart. 

She  repeated,  “Charlie,  go  and  pick  up  uncle's  Bible, 
and  put  it  on  the  table.” 

The  little  fellow  said  he  could  not  do  it. 

“I  will  punish  you  if  you  do  not.” 

He  saw  a  strange  look  in  her  eye,  and  the  matter  began 
to  get  serious.  He  did  not  want  to  be  punished,  and  he 
knew  his  mother  would  punish  him  if  he  did  not  lift  the 
Bible.  So  he  straightened  every  bone  and  muscle  in 
him,  and  he  said  k€  could  not  do  it.  I  really  believe  the 
little  fellow  had  reasoned  himself  into  the  belief  that  he 
could  not  do  it. 

His  mother  knew  he  was  only  deceiving  himself,  so 
she  kept  him  right  to  the  point.  At  last  he  went  down, 
put  both  his  arms  around  the  Bible,  and  tugged  away  at 
itj  but  he  still  said  he  could  not  do  it.  The  truth  was 
— he  did  not  want  to.  He  got  up  again  without  lifting  it. 

The  mother  said,  “Charlie,  I  am  not  going  to  talk  to 
you  any  more.  This  matter  has  to  be  settled ; 'pick  up 
that  Bible,  or  I  will  punish  you.” 

At  last  she  broke  his  will,  and  then  he  found  it  as 
easy  as  it  is  for  me  to  turn  my  hand.  He  picked  up  the 
Bible,  and  laid  it  on  the  table. 

So  it  is  with  the  sinner;  if  you  are  really  willing  to 
take  the  Water  of  Life,  you  can  ix)  it. 

No  Difference 

During  the  war,  when  enlisting  was  going  on,  some* 
times  a  man  would  come  up  with  a  nice  silk  hat  on, 
patent-leather  boots,  kid  gloves,  and  a  fine  suit  of 
clothes;  perhaps  the  next  man  who  came  along  would 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


41 


be  a  hod-carrier,  dressed  in  the  poorest  kind  of  clothes. 
Both  had  to  strip  alike  and  put  on  the  regimental  uni¬ 
form. 

When  you  come  and  say  you  are  not  fit,  haven’t  got 
good  clothes,  haven’t  got  righteousness  enough  to  be  a 
Christian,  remember  that  Christ  will  furnish  you  with  the 
uniform  of  heaven,  and  you  will  be  set  down  at  the  mar¬ 
riage  feast  of  the  Lamb.  I  don’t  care  how  black  and 
vile  your  heart  may  be,  only  accept  the  invitation  of 
Jesus  Christ,  and  He  will  make  you  fit  to  sit  down  with 
the  rest  at  that  feast. 

Drawing  a  Comparison 

When  I  was  in  California  I  went  into  a  Sunday-school 
and  asked : 

“Have  you  got  some  one  who  can  write  a  plain  hand?’’ 

“Yes.” 

We  got  up  the  blackboard,  and  the  lesson  Cipon  it 
proved  to  be  the  text,  “Lay  up  for  yourselves  treasures 
in  heaven.’’ 

I  said,  “Suppose  we  write  upon  that  board  some  of 
the  earthly  treasures?  We  will  begin  with  ‘gold.’ 

The  teacher  readily  put  down  “gold,’’  and  they  all 
comprehended  it,  for  all  had  run  to  that  country  in  hope 
of  finding  it. 

“Well,  we  will  put  down  ‘houses’  next  and  then  ‘land.  ’ 
Next  we  will  put  down  ‘fast  horses.’ 

They  all  understood  what  fast  horses  were — they 
knew  a  good  deal  more  about  fast  horses  than  they  knew 
about  the  kingdom  of  God.  Some  of  them,  I  think,  ac¬ 
tually  made  fast  horses  serve  as  gods. 

“Next  we  will  put  down  ‘tobacco.’  The  teacher 
seemed  to  shrink  at  this.  “Put  it  dowa,***  said  I; 


±2 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


many  a  man  thinks  more  of  tobacco  than  he  does  of 
God.  Well,  then  we  will  put  down  ‘rum.’  ” 

He  objected  to  this — didn’t  like  to  put  it  down  at  all. 

Down  with  it!  Many  a  man  will  sell  his  reputation, 
his  home,  his  wife,  his  children,  everything  he  has,  for 
rum.  It  is  the  god  of  some  men.  Many  here  are  ready 
to  sell  their  present  and  their  eternal  welfare  for  it.  Put 
it  down,”  and  down  it  went. 

Now,  said  I,  suppose  we  put  down  some  of  the 
heavenly  treasures.  Put  down  ‘Jesus’  to  bead  the  list, 
then  ‘heaven,’  then  ‘River  of  Life,’  then  ‘Crown  of 
Glory  ,  and  went  on  until  the  column  was  filled,  and 
then  just  drew  a  line  and  showed  the  heavenly  and  the 
earthly  things  in  contrast. 

My  friends,  they  could  not  stand  comparison.  If  a 
man  does  that,  he  cannot  but  see  the  superiority  of  the 
heavenly  over  the  earthly  treasures. 

It  turned  out  that  this  teacher  was  not  a  Christian. 
He  had  gone  to  California  on  the  usual  hunt — gold ;  and 
when  he  saw  the  two  columns  placed  side  by  side,  the 
excellence  of  the  one  over  the  other  was  irresistible,  and 
he  was  the  first  soul  God  gave  me  on  that  Pacific  coast. 
He  accepted  Christ,  and  that  man  came  to  the  station 
when  I  was  coming  away  and  blessed  me  for  coming  to 
that  place. 


A  Legend  about  Doves 

There  is  a  beautiful  legend  about  a  conference  held 
by  the  doves  to  decide  where  they  should  make  their 
abode.  One  suggested  that  they  should  go  to  the  woods ; 
but  the  objection  was  made  that  there  they  would  be  in 
danger  from  hawks;  another  mentioned  the  cities,  but 
boys  would  stone  them  there,  and  drive  them  away  or 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


45 


kill  them.  Presently  some  dove  suggested  that  they 
go  and  hide  in  the  clefts  of  the  rocks,  and  there  they 
were  safe.  ye  that  dwell  in  Moab,  leave  the  cities 

and  dwell  in  the  rock,  and  be  like  the  dove  that  maketh 
her  nest  in  the  sides  of  the  hole’s  mouth.” 

Rock  of  Ages,  cleft  for  me, 

Let  me  hide  myself  in  thee. 

Look  to  Christ! 

A  leading  surgeon  I  heard  of,  when  he  has  a  bad 
wound  to  dressy  or  a  broken  limb  to  set,  tells  the  patient: 

“Now,  look  at  the  wound,  see  just  how  it  looks,  and 
then  look  at  me!” 

So  when  you  have  seen  the  state  your  heart  is  in, 
look  up  to  Christ,  and  nowhere  else. 

Paying  Attention  to  the  Preacher 

There  was  an  architect  in  Chicago  who  was  converted. 
In  giving  his  testimony,  he  said  he  had  been  in  the  habit 
of  attending  church  for  a  great  many  years,  but  he  could 
not  say  that  he  had  really  heard  a  sermon  all  the  time. 
He  said  that  when  the  minister  gave  out  the  text  and 
began  to  preach,  he  used  to  settle  himself  in  the  corner 
of  the  pew  and  work  out  the  plans  of  some  building.  He 
could  not  tell  how  many  plans  he  had  prepared  while  the 
minister  was  preaching.  He  was  the  architect  for  one 
or  two  companies ;  and  he  used  to  do  all  his  planning  in 
that  way. 

You  see,  Satan  came  in  between  him  and  the  preacher, 
and  caught  away  the  good  seed  of  the  Word.  I  have 
often  preached  to  people,  and  have  been  perfectly 
amazed  to  find  they  could  hardly  tell  one  solitary  word 
of  the  sermon ;  even  the  text  had  completely  gone  from 
them. 


44 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


Better  Make  Sure 

“I  hab  beam  folks  say,  ‘Hope  I  has  ’ligion,  but  I 
doan  know’;  but  I  neber  hearn  a  man  say,  ‘I  hope’s  I 
has  money,  but  I  doan  know.  ’  Dat  sorter  ’ligion  dat 
yer  hopes  ye’s  got,  but  doan  know,  ain’t  gwine  to  do 
no  mo’  good  dan  der  money  what  yer  hopes  ye’s  got  but 
doan  know.  ” 

Some  Things  Quite  Plain 

An  English  army  officer  in  India  who  had  been  living 
an  impure  life  went  round  one  evening  to  argue  religion 
with  the  chaplain.  During  their  talk  the  officer  said: 

“Religion  is  all  very  well,  but  you  must  admit  that 
there  are  difficulties — about  the  miracles,  for  instance.” 

The  chaplain  knew  the  man  and  his  besetting  sin,  and 
quietly  looking  him  in  the  face,  answered: 

“Yes;  there  are  some  things  in  the  Bible  not  very 
plain,  I  admit;  but  the  seventh  commandment  is  very 
plain.  ” 

Your  Own  Picture  There 

The  Bible  Is  like  an  album.  I  go  into  a  man's  house, 
and  v^^hile  waiting  for  him,  I  take  up  an  album  and  open 
it.  I  look  at  a  picture.  “Why,  that  looks  like  a  man 
I  know.”  I  turn  over  and  look  at  another.  “Well,T 
know  that  man.  ”  I  keep  turning  over  the  leaves.  “Well, 

there  is  a  man  who  lives  in  the  same  street  as  myself _ 

he  is  my  next-door  neighbor.”  And  then  I  come  upon 
another,  and  see  myself. 

My  friends,  if  you  read  your  Bibles  you  will  find  your 
own  pictures  there.  It  just  describes  you.  You  may  be 
a  Pharisee;  if  so,  turn  to  the  third  chapter  of  John,  and 
see  what  Christ  said  to  the  Pharisee;  “Except  a  man 
be  born  again  he  cannot  enter  the  kingdom  of  God," 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


45 


But  you  may  say:  “lam  not  a  Eharisee;  I  am  a  poor, 
miserable  sinner,  too  bad  to  come  to  Him.”  Well,  turn 
to  the  woman  of  Samaria,  and  see  what  Christ  said  to 

her. 

“  That’s  Me  I  ” 

While  we  were  in  London,  Mr.  Spurgeon  one  day  in  his 
orphanage  told  about  the  boys — that  some  of  them  had 
aunts  and  some  cousins,  and  that  nearly  every  boy  had 
some  friend  that  took  an  interest  in  him,  and  came  to 
see  him  and  gave  him  a  little  pocket  money.  One  day, 
he  said,  while  he  stood  there,  a  little  boy  came  up  to 
him  and  said; 

“Mr.  Spurgeon,  let  me  speak  to  you.” 

The  boy  sat  down  between  Mr.  Spurgeon  and  the 
elder  who  was  with  him,  and  said: 

“Mr.  Spurgeon,  suppose  your  father  and  mother  were 
dead,  and  you  didn’t  have  any  cousins,  or  aunts,  or 
uncles  or  friends  to  come  and  give  you  pocket  money, 
and  give  you  presents,  don’t  you  think  you  would  feel 

bad?  Because  that’s  me!” 

Said  Mr.  Spurgeon:  “The  minute  he  said  that,  I  put 
my  right  hand  down  into  my  pocket  and  took  out  some 
money  for  him  ” 

Queer  Ideas  of  Repentance 

The  unconverted  have  a  false  idea  about  repentance; 
they  think  God  is  going  to  make  them  repent.  I  was 
once  talking  with  a  man  on  this  subject,  and  he  summed 
up  his  whole  argument  by  saying: 

“Moody,  it  has  never  struck  me  yet.” 

I  said:  “What  has  never  struck  you.” 

“Well,”  he  replied:  “Some  people  it  strikes,  and 
some  it  doesn’t.  There  was  a  good  deal  of  interest  in 


46 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


our  town  a  few  years  ago,  and  some  of  my  neighbors 
were  converted,  but  it  didn’t  strike  me.” 

That  man  thought  that  repentance  was  coming  down 
some  day  to  strike  him  like  lightning.  Another  man 

said  he  expected  some  sensation,  like  cold  chills  down 
his  back. 

Repentance  isn’t  feeling.  It  is  turning  from  sin  to 
God.  One  of  the  best  definitions  was  given  by  a  sol¬ 
dier.  Some  one  asked  him  how  he  was  converted.  He 
said :  | 

“The  Lord  said  to  me.  Halt!  Attention!  Right  about  | 
face!  March!  and  that  was  all  there  was  in  it.”  I 

A 

A  Good  Illustration  i 

A  little  child  gives  a  good  illustration  of  faith.  Let 
the  wind  blow  her  hat  into  the  river,  and  she  does  not 
worry;  she  knows  her  mother  will  get  her  another.  She  •' 
lives  by  faith.  \ 

“  Come  I  Come  I  Come !  ”  j 

A  man  in  one  of  our  meetings  had  been  brought  there 
against  his  will;  he  had  come  through  some  personal 
influence  brought  to  bear  upon  him.  When  he  got  to  J 
the  meeting,  they  were  singing  the  chorus  of  a  hymn :  I 

Cornel  oh,  come  to  Me!  9 

Come!  oh,  come  to  Me!  '9 

Weary,  heavy-laden,  j 

Come!  oh,  come  to  Me!  fl 

He  said  afterward  he  thought  he  never  saw  so  many  1 
fools  together  in  his  life  before.  The  idea  of  a  number  I 
of  men  standing  there  singing,  “Come!  come!  come!”  « 
When  he  started  home  he  could  not  get  this  little  9 

word  out  of  his  head;  it  kept  coming  back  all  the  time.  V 

He  went  into  a  saloon,  and  ordered  some  whisky,  think-  9 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


47 


ing  to  drown  it.  But  he  could  not;  it  still  kept  coming 
back.  He  went  into  another  saloon,  and  drank  some 
more  whisky;  but  the  words  kept  ringing  in  his  ears: 
“Come!  come!  come!”  He  said  to  himself,  “What  a 
fool  I  am  for  allowing  myself  to  be  troubled  in  this  way!’ 

He  went  to  a  third  saloon,  had  another  glass,  and  finally 
got  home. 

He  went  off  to  bed,  but  could  not  sleep;  it  seemed  as 
if  the  very  pillow  kept  whispering  the  word,  “Come! 
Come!”  He  began  to  be  angry  with  himself:  “What 
a  fool  I  was  for  ever  going  to  that  meeting  at  all!” 
When  he  got  up  he  took  the  little  hymn  book,  found  the 
hymn,  and  read  it  over. 

“What  nonsense!”  he  said  to  himself;  “the  idea  of  a 
rational  man  being  disturbed  by  that  hymn.” 

He  set  fire  to  the  hymn  book,  but  he  could  not  burn 
up  the  little  word  “Come!” 

He  declared  he  would  never  go  to  another  of  the 
meetings;  but  the  next  night  he  came  again.  When  he 
got  there,  strange  "to  say,  they  were  singing  the  same 
hymn. 

“There  is  that  miserable  old  hymn  again,”  he  said; 
“what  a  fool  I  am  for  coming!”  When  the  Spirit  of 
God  lays  hold  of  a  man,  he  does  a  good  many  things  he 
did  not  intend  to  do. 

To  make  a  long  story  short,  that  man  rose  in  a  meet¬ 
ing  of  young  converts,  and  told  the  story  that  I  have 
now  told  you.  Pulling  out  the  little  hymn-book — for  he 
had  bought  another  copy — and  opening  it  at  this  hymn, 
he  said : 

“I  think  this  hymn  is  the  sweetest  and  the  best  in  the 
English  language.  God  blessed  it  to  the  saving  of  my  < 
soul.  And  yet  this  was  the  very  hymn  that  I  despised.” 


48 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


N _ _ _ _  i  - 


Don’t  Scold 

“He  that  winneth  souls  is  wise.”  Do  yoa  want  to 
win  men?  Do  not  drive  or  scold  them.  Do  not  try  to 
tear  down  their  prejudices  before  you  begin  to  lead  them 
to  the  truth.  Some  people  think  they  have  to  tear  down 
the  scaffolding  before  they  begin  on  the  building.  An 
old  minister  once  invited  a  young  brother  to  preach  for 
him.  1  he  latter  scolded  the  people,  and  when  he  got 
home,  asked  the  old  minister  how  he  had  done.  He  said 
he  had  an  old  cow,  and  when  he  wanted  a  good  supply 
of  milk,  he  fed  the  cow;  he  did  not  scold  her. 

A  Long  Time  to  Reap 

A  man  died  in  the  Columbus  penitentiary  some  years 
ago  who  had  spent  over  thirty  years  in  his  cell.  He  was 
one  of  the  millionaires  of  Ohio.  Fifty  years  ago  when 
they  were  trying  to  get  a  trunk  road  from  Chicago  to 
New  York,  they  wanted  to  lay  the  line  through  his  farm 
near  Cleveland.  He  did  not  want  his  farm  divided  by 
the  railroad,  so  the  case  went  into  court,  where  commis¬ 
sioners  were  appointed  to  pay  the  damages  and  to  allow 
the  road  to  be  built. 

One  dark  night,  a  train  was  thrown  off  the  track,  and 
several  were  killed.  This  man  was  suspected,  was  tried 
and  found  guilty,  and  was  sent  to  the  penitentiary  for 
life.  The  farm  w^as  soon  cut  up  into  city  lots,  and  the 
man  became  a  millionaire,  but  he  got  no  benefit  from  it. 

It  may  not  have  taken  him  more  than  an  hour  to  lay 
the  obstruction  on  the  railroad,  but  he  was  ©ver  thirty 
years  reaping  the  result  of  that  one  act! 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


“  As  a  Little  Child  ” 

A  little  child  is  the  most  dependent  thing  on  earth. 
All  its  resources  are  in  its  parents’  love;  all  it  can  do  is 
to  cry;  and  its  necessities  explain  the  meaning  to  the 
mother’s  heart.  If  we  interpret  its  language,  it  means r 
“Mother,  wash  me;  I  cannot  wash  myself.  Mother^ 
clothe  me;  I  am  naked,  and  cannot  clothe  myself. 
Mother,  feed  me;  I  cannot  feed  myself.  Mother,  carry 
me;  I  cannot  walk.’’  It  is  written,  “A  mother  may 
forget  her  sucking  child;  yet  will  not  I  forget  thee.’’ 

This  it  is  to  receive  the  Kingdom  of  God  as  a  little 
child — to  come  to  Jesus  in  our  helplessness,  and  say: 
“Lord  Jesus,  wash  me!’’  “Clothe  me!”  “Feed  me!” 
“Carry  me!”  “Save  me.  Lord,  or  I  perish.” — Rains- 
ford. 

Following  the  Lamb 

A  friend  who  lost  all  his  children  told  me  about  being 
in  ah  eastern  country  some  time  ago,  and  he  saw  a  shep¬ 
herd  going  down  to  a  stream,  and  he  wanted  to  get  his 
flock  across.  He  went  into  the  water  and  called  them  by 
name,  but  they  came  to  the  bank  and  bleated,  and  were 
too  afraid  to  follow.  At  last  he  went  back,  tight¬ 
ened  his  girdle  about  his  loins,  took  up  two  little  lambs, 
and  put  one  inside  his  frock,  and  another  inside  his 
bosom.  Then  he  started  into  the  water,  and  the  old 
sheep  looked  up  to  the  shepherd  instead  of  down  into  the 
water.  They  wanted  to  see  their  little  ones.  So  he  got 
them  over  the  water,  and  led  them  into  the  green  pas¬ 
tures  on  the  other  side. 

How  many  times  the  Good  Shepherd  has  come  down 
here  and  taken  a  little  lamb  to  the  hill-tops  of  glory,  and 
then  the  father  and  mother  begin  to  look  up  and  follow. 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


5« 


Two  Pictures 

A  friend  told  me  of  'U  poor  man  who  had  sent  his  son 
to  school  in  the  city.  One  day  the  father  was  hauling 
some  wood  into  the  city,  perhaps  to  pay  his  boy’s  bills. 
The  young  man  was  walking  down  the  street  with  two  of 
his  school  friends,  all  dressed  in  the  very  height  of  fash¬ 
ion.  His  father  saw  him,  and  was  so  glad  that  he  left 
his  wood,  and  went  to  the  sidewalk  to  speak  to  him.  But 
the  boy  was  ashamed  of  his  father,  who  had  on  his  old 
working  clothes,  and  spurned  him,  and  said: 

“I  don’t  know  you.” 

Will  such  a  young  man  ever  amount  to  anything? 
Never! 

There  was  a  very  promising  young  man  in  my  Sunday- 
school  in  Chicago.  His  father  was  a  confirmed  drunk¬ 
ard,  and  his  mother  took  in  washing  to  educate  her  four 
children.  This  was  her  eldest  son,  and  I  thought  that 
he  was  going  to  redeem  the  whole  family.  But  one  day 
a  thing  happened  that  made  him  go  down  in  my  estima¬ 
tion. 

The  boy  was  in  the  high  school,  and  was  a  very  bright 
scholar.  One  day  he  stood  with  his  mother  at  the  cot¬ 
tage  door — it  was  a  poor  house,  but  she  could  not  pay 
for  their  schooling  and  feed  and  clothe  her  children  and 
hire  a  very  good  house  too  out  of  her  earnings.  When 
they  were  talking  a  young  man  from  the  high  school 
came  up  the  street,  and  this  boy  walked  away  from  his 
mother.  Next  day  the  young  man  said: 

“Who  was  that  I  saw  you  talking  to  yesterday?” 

“Oh,  that  was  my  washerwoman.”  ' 

I  said:  ^‘Poor  fellow!  He  will  never  amount  to 
anything.  ” 


ff 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


51 


That  was  a  good  many  years  ago.  I  have  kept  my  eye 
on  him.  He  has  gone  down,  down,  down,  and  now  he 
is  just  a  miserable  wreck.  Of  course,  he  would  go 
down!  Ashamed  of  his  mother  that  loved  him  and 
toiled  for  him,  and  bore  so  much  hardship  for  him!  I 
•  cannot  tell  you  the  contempt  I  had  for  that  one  act. 

Let  us  look  at — 

A  Brighter  Picture 

*  Some  years  ago  I  heard  of  a  poor  woman  who  sent 
her  boy  to  school  and  college.  When  he  was  to  gradu¬ 
ate,  he  wrote  his  mother  to  come,  but  she  sent  back 
word  that  she  could  not  because  her  best  skirt  had 
i  already  been  turned  once.  She  was  so  shabby  that  she 
»  was  afraid  he  would  be  ashamed  of  her.  He  wrote  back 
that  he  didn’t  care  how  she  was  dressed,  and  urged  so 
strongly  that  she  went.  He  met  her  at  the  station,  and 
took  her  to  a  nice  place  to  stay.  The  day  came  fo’r  his 
graduation,  and  he  walked  down  the  broad  aisle  with 
that  poor  mother  dressed  very  shabbily,  and  put  her  into 
one  of  the  best  seats  in  the  house.  To  her  great  sur¬ 
prise  he  was  the  valedictorian  of  the  class,  and  he  car¬ 
ried  everything  before  him.  He  won  a  prize,  and  when 
It  was  given  to  him,  he  stepped  down  before  the  whole 
audience  and  kissed  his  mother,  and  said: 

Here,  mother,  here  is  the  prize!  It's  yours.  I 
would  not  have  won  it  if  it  had  not  been  for  you.” 

Thank  God  for  such  a  man! 

The  Folly  of  Covetousness 

The  folly  of  covetousness  is  well  shown  in  the  fol¬ 
lowing  extract: 

If  you  should  see  a  man  that  had  a  large  pond  of 
water,  yet  living  in  continual  thirst,  nor  suffering  himself 


52 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


to  drink  half  a  draught  for  fear  of  lessening  his  pond;  if 
you  should  see  him  wasting  his  time  and  strength  in 
fetching  more  water  to  his  pond,  always  thirsty,  yet  . 
always  carrying  a  bucket  of  water  in  his  hand,  watching 
early  and  late  to  catch  the  drops  of  rain,  gaping  after 
every  cloud,  and  running  greedily  into  every  mire  and 
"  mud  in  hopes  of  water,  and  always  studying  how  to  make 
every  ditch  empty  itself  into  the  pond;  if  you  should  see 
him  grow  gray  in  these  anxious  labors,  and  at  last  end 
a  thirsty  life  by  falling  into  his  own  pond,  would  you  not 
say  that  such  a  one  was  not  only  the  author  of  his  own 
disquiet,  but  was  foolish  enough  to  be  reckoned  among| 
madmen?  But  foolish  and  absurd  as  this  character  is,  it| 
does  not  represent  half  the  follies  and  absurd  disquietsj 

of  the  covetous  man.”  ^ 

I  have  read  of  a  millionaire  in  France,  who  was  a| 

miser.  In  order  to  make  sure  of  his  wealth,  he  dug  a, 
cave  in  his  wine  cellar  so  large  and  deep  that  he  could'| 
go  down  into  it  with  a  ladder.  The  entrance  had  a  door^ 
with  a  spring  lock.  After  a  time,  he  was  missing.J 
Search  was  made,  but  they  could  find  no  trace  of  him.J 
At  last  his  house  was  sold,  and  the  purchaser  discovered 
this  door  in  the  cellar.  He  opened  it,  went  down,  and 
found  the  miser  lying  dead  on  the  ground,  in  the  midst^ 
of  his  riches.  The  door  must  have  shut  accidentally^, 
after  him,  and  he  perished  miserably. 

What  is  Needed 

Nine-tenths,’ at  least,  of  our  church  members  never 
think  of  speaking  for  Christ.  If  they  see  a  man,  per- 
haps  a  near  relative,  going  right  down  to  ruin,  going 
rapidly,  they  never  think  of  speaking  to  hini  about  his 
sinful  course  and  of  seeking  to  win  him  to  Christ,  Now,ii 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


53 


certainly  there  must  be  something  wrong.  And  yet 
when  you  talk  with  them  you  find  they  have  faith,  and 
you  cannot  say  they  are  not  children  of  God;  but  they 
have  not  the  power,  the  liberty,  the  love  that  real  dis¬ 
ciples  of  Christ  should  have. 

A  great  many  think  that  we  need  new  measures,  new 
churches,  new  organs,  new  choirs,  and  all  these  new 
things.  That  is  not  what  the  Church  of  God  needs 
to-day.  It  is  the  old  power  that  the  apostles  had.  If 
we  have  that  in  our  churches,  there  will  be  new  life. 

I  remember  when  in  Chicago  many  were  toiling  in 
the  work,  and  it  seemed  as  though  the  car  of  salvation 
didn’t  move  on,  when  a  minister  began  to  cry  out  from 
'I  the  very  depths  of  his  heart: 

“Oh,  God,  put  new  ministers  in  every  pulpit.” 

Next  Monday  I  heard  two  or  three  men  stand  up  and 
say,  ‘‘We  had  a  new  minister  last  Sunday— the  same  old 
minister,  but  he  had  got  new  power,”  and  I  firmly  believe 
that  is  what  we  want  to-day  all  over  America — new  min¬ 
isters  in  the  pulpit  and  new  people  in  the  pews.  We 
want  people  quickened  by  the  Spirit  of  God. 

Neglecting  Church 

A  minister  rebuked  a  farmer  for  not  attending  church, 
and  said: 

“You  know,  John,  you  are  never  absent  from  mar¬ 
ket.” 

Oh,”  was  the  reply,  ‘‘we  must  go  to  market.” 

Oratorical  Preaching 

My  friends,  we  have  too  many  orators  in  the  pulpit, 
lam  tired  and  sick  of  your  “silver-tongued  orators,” 

I  used  to  mourri  because  I  couldn’t  be  an  orator.  I 
thought,  Oh,  if  I  could  only  have  the  gift  of  speech  like 


54 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


some  men!  I  have  heard  men  vnth  a  smooth  flow  ©/ 
language  take  the  audience  captive;  but  they  came  an«?. 
they  went.  Their  voice  was  like  the  air  there  wasn  t 
any back  of  it;  they  trusted  in  their  eloquence  and 
their  fine  speeches.  That  is  what  Paul  was  thinking  of 
when  he  wrote  to  the  Corinthians:  My  speech  and  my 
preaching  was  not  with  enticing  words  of  man  s  wisdom, 
but  in  demonstration  of  the  Spirit  and  of  power:  that 
your  faith  should  not  stand  in  the  wisdom  of  men,  but 
in  the  power  of  God.” 

Take  a  witness  in  court  and  let  him  try  his  oratorical 
powers  in  the  witness-box,  and  see  how  quickly  the 
judge  will  rule  him  out.  It  is  the  man  who  tells  the 
plain,  simple  truth  that  has  the  most  influence  with  the 

jury. 

Suppose  that  Moses  had  prepared  a  speech  for  Pha¬ 
raoh,  and  had  got  his  hair  all  smoothly  brushed,  and  had 
stood  before  the  looking-glass,  or  had  gone  to  an  elocu¬ 
tionist  to  be  taught  how  to  make  an  oratorical  speech 
and  how  to  make  gestures.  Suppose  that  he  had  but¬ 
toned  his  coat,  put  one  hand  in  his  chest,  had  struck  an 
attitude,  and  begun: 

“The  God  of  our  fathers,  the  God  of  Abraham^ 
Isaac,  and  Jacob,  has  commanded  me  to  come  into  the 
presence  of  the  noble  King  of  Egypt.” 

I  think  they  would  have  taken  his  head  right  off! 
They  had  Egyptians  who  could  be  as  eloquent  as  Moses. 
It  was  not  eloquence  they  wanted. 

To  Which  Class  Do  You  Belong  ? 

Some  one  has  said  that  there  are  three  classes  of  peo¬ 
ple:  the  “wills,”  the  “won’ts,”  and  the  “can’ts”:  the 
first  accomplish  everything,  the  second  oppose  every¬ 
thing,  and  the  third  fail  in  everything. 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


55 


Sunday  Work 

A  Cbristian  man  was  once  urged  by  his  employer  to 
work  ea  Sunday. 

“Does  not  your  Bible  say  that  if  your  ass  falls  into 
pit  on  the  Sabbath,  you  may  pull  him  out?” 

“Yes,”  replied  the  other;  “but  if  the  ass  had  the 
habit  of  falling  into  the^same  pit  every  Sabbath,  I  Vv^ould 
either  fill  up  the  pit  or  sell  the  ass,” 

There  Must  Be  Roots 

Suppose  I  hire  two  men  to  set  out  trees,  and  after  a 
day  or  two  I  go  out  to  see  how  they  are  getting  along. 

I  find  that  one  man  has  set  out  a  hundred  trees,  and  the 
other  only  ten.  I  say: 

“Look  here;  what  does  this  mean?  That  man  has 
set  out  a  hundred  trees,  and  you  have  set  out  only  ten. 
What  does  it  mean?” 

“Yes,  but  he  has  cut  off  all  the  roots,  and  just  stuck 
the  tops  into  the  ground.” 

I  go  to  the  other  man,  and  say:  “What  does  this 
mean?  Why  have  you  planted  all  of  these  trees  without 
roots?” 

“I  don’t  believe  in  roots;  they  are  of  no  account. 
My  trees  look  just  as  well  as  his.” 

But  when  the  sun  blazes  upon  the  trees,  they  all 
wither  and  die. 

There  are  a  lot  of  people  running  around  who  haven’t 
got  any  roots.  A  good  many  live  on  negations.  They 
are  always  telling  what  they  don^t  believe.  I  want  a 
man  to  tell  me  what  he  does  believe,  not  what  he  does 
not  believe.  And  I  like  to  meet  a  positive  man.  We 
just  want  to  know  what  men  do  believe.  We  don’t  want 
trees  that  haven’t  any  roots,  for  they  will  dry  up  when 


56 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


the  sun  blazes  on  them.  There  are  a  good  many  per¬ 
sons  that  are  going  on  without  any  foundation;  they 

have  no  faith. 

The  Path  of  Obedience 

Whatsoever  He  tells  you  to  do,  do.  But  be  sure  He 
says  it.  Don’t  take  your  ideas.  Go  and  live  right  at 
home,  go  and  treat  your  wife  and  children  right,  pay  your 

debts  and  do  some  things  of  that  kind. 

A  colored  man  said  he  had  seen  a  sign;  he  said  it 
read,  “G.  P.  C.,”  and  he  understood  it  to  mean,  “Go 

preach  Christ.” 

Another  man  got  up,  and  said.  “No,  that  am  t  it;  it 
is  ‘Go  pick  cotton.’  ” 

If  it  is  preach  the  gospel,  go  preach  the  gospel;  and  if 
it  is  pick  cotton,  then  pick  cotton. 


Calling  a  Man  a  Liar 

You  cannot  offer  a  man  a  greater  insult  than  to  tell 
him  he  is  a  liar.  Unbelief  is  telling  God  He  is  a  liar. 

Suppose  a  man  said,  “Mr.  Moody,  I  have  no  faith  in 
you  whatever.”  Don’t  you  think  it  would  grieve  me? 
There  is  not  anything  that  would  wound  a  man  much 
more  than  to  be  told  that  you  do  not  have  any  faith  in 

him. 

A  great  many  men  say,  “Oh,  I  have  profound  rever- 

cnee  and  respect  for  God.”  •  ^  ^ 

Yes,  profound  respect,  but^  not  faith.  Why,  it  is  a 


downright  insult! 

Suppose  a  man  says,  “Mr.  Moody,  I  have  profound 
respect  for  you,  profound  admiration  for  you,  but  I  do 

not  believe  a  word  you  say.” 

I  wouldn’t  give  much  for  his  respect  or  admiration;  ^ 

I  wouldn’t  give  much  for  his  friendship.  God  wants  us.jfj 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


57 

to  put  our  faith  in  Him.  How  it  would  wound  a  mother’s 
feelings  to  hear  her  children  say,  “I  do  love  mamma  so 
much,  but  I  don’t  believe  what  she  says  ”  How  it  would 
grieve  that  mother.  And  that  is  about  the  way  a  great 
many  of  God’s  professed  children  talk.  Some  men 
seem  to  think  it  is  a  great  misfortune  that  they  do  not 
have  faith.  Bear  in  mind  it  is  not  a  misfortune,  but  it 
is  the  damning  sin  of  the  world. 

Bending  His  Will 

A  mother  told  me  up  in  Minnesota  that  she  had  a  lit¬ 
tle  child  who  took  a  book  and  threw  it  out  of  the  win¬ 
dow.  She  told  him  to  go  and  pick  it  up.  The  little 
boy  said,  “I  won’t.” 

She  said,  “What?” 

He  said  again,  “I  won’t.” 

She  said:  “You  must.  Go  and  pick  up  that  book.” 

He  said  he  couldn  t  do  it.  She  took  him  out,  and 
she  held  him  right  to  it.  Dinner-time  came,  and  he 
hadn  t  picked  up  the  book.  She  took  him  to  dinner, 
and  after  it  was  over  she  took  him  out  again.  They  sat 
there  until  tea-time.  When  tea-time  came  she  took  him 
in  and  gave  him  his  supper,  and  then  took  him  out  and 
kept  him  there  until  bed-time.  The  next  morning  she 
went  out  again  and  kept  him  there  until  dinner-time.  He 
found  he  was  in  for  a  life  job,  and  he  picked  the  book  up. 

She  said  she  never  had  any  trouble  with  the  child 
afterward.  Mothers,  if  you  don’t  make  your  boy  obey 
when  he  is  young,  he  will  break  your  heart. 

How  To  Find  the  Thirsty 

When  preaching  in  Chicago,  Dr.  Monro  Gibson  once 
asked  in  the  inquiry  meeting,  “Now,  how  can  we  find 
out  who  is  thirsty?  I  was  just  thinking  how  we  could 


58 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


find  out.  If  a  boy  should  come  down  the  aisle,  bringing 
a  good  pail  full  of  clear  water  and  a  dipper,  we  would 
soon  find  out  who  was  thirsty.  The  thirsty  men  and 
women  would  reach  out  for  water;  but  if  he  should  walk 
down  the  aisle  with  an  empty  bucket,  we  wouldn  t  find 
out.  People  would  look  in  and  see  that  there  was  no 
water,  and  say  nothing.  So,”  said  he,  “I  think  that  is 
the  reason  we  are  not  more  blessed  in  our  ministry;  we 
are  carrying  around  empty  buckets,  and  the  people  see 
that  we  have  not  anything  in  them,  and  they  don’t  come 
forward.  ” 

Making  Parables 

Stewart  Robertson  met  Marshall,  the  great  politician, 
and  Marshall  said- 

“Why  don’t  you  preach  in  parables  like  your  Master?” 

Robertson  said;  “I  would  if  I  knew  enough.  I  wish 

you  would  make  me  a  few.” 

He  never  could  get  to  see  him  from  that  day  until  one 
day  he  met  him  on  a  corner,  and  he  said:  ^ 

“Marshall,  where  are  those  parables?” 

“I  knew  you  would  be  after  me,  but  I  give  it  up. 

I  tried,  but  I  couldn’t  make  them.  I  didn’t  know  it 
was  so  hard.” 

People  say,  “Oh,  any  one  can  make  up  a  sermon.” 
But  if  you  think  so,  just  try  it! 

A  Father’s  Mistake 

The  story  is  told  that  a  man  once  said  he  would  not’ 
talk  to  his'  son  about  religion ;  the  boy  should  make  his 
own  choice  when  he  grew  up,  unprejudiced  by  him. 

The  boy  broke  his  arm,  and  when  the  doctor  was; 
setting  it,  he  cursed  and  swore  the  whole  time.  The! 
father  was  quite  grieved  and  shocked. 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


59 


“Ah,”  said  the  doctor,  “you  were  afraid  to  preju- 
lice  the  boy  in  the  right  way,  but  the  devil  had  no  such 
irejudice.  He  has  led  your  son  the  other  way,” 

The  idea  that  a  father  is  to  let  his  children  run 
did!  Nature  alone  never  brings  forth  anything  but 
i^eeds. 

A  Rum-Seller’s  Son  Blows  His  Brains  Out 

I.ook  at  that  rum-seller.  When  we  talk  to  him  he 

lughs  at  us.  He  tells  you  there  is  no  hell,  no  future _ 

lere  is  no  retribution.  I’ve  got  one  man  in  my  mind 
ow  who  ruined  nearly  all  the  sons  in  his  neighborhood, 
lothers  and  fathers  went  to  him  and  begged  him  not  to 
.11  their  children  liquor.  He  told  them  it  was  his  busi- 
ess  to  sell  liquor,  and  he  was  going  to  sell  liquor  to 
very  one  who  came.  The  saloon  was  a  blot  upon  the 
lace  as  dark  as  hell. 

But  the  man  had  a  father’s  heart.  He  had  a  son. 
.e  didn’t  worship  God,  but  he  worshiped  that  boy.  He 
dn  t  remember  that  whatsoever  a  man  soweth  so  shall 
i  reap.  My  friends,  they  generally  reap  what  they  sow. 

may  not  come  immediately,  but  the  retribution  will 
irely  come.  If  you  ruin  other  men’s  sons,  some  other 
an  will  ruin  yours.  Bear  in  mind  God  is  a  God  of 
[uity ;  God  is  a  God  of  justice.  He  is  not  going  to 
low  you  to  ruin  others  and  escape  yourself.  If  we  go 
gainst  His  laws,  we  suffer. 

lime  rolled  on,  and  that  young  man  became  a  slave 
drink,  and  his  life  became  such  a  burden  to  him  that 
put  a  revolver  to  his  head  and  blew  his  brains  out. 
le  father  lived  a  few  years,  but  his  life  was  as  bitter  as 
11,  and  then  went  down  to  his  grave  in  sorrow.  Ah, 
i  friends,  it  is  hard  to  kick  against  the  pricks. 


6o 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


Mrs.  Moody  Teaching  Her  Child  ^ 

There  was  a  time  when  our  little  boy  did  not  like  t<^ 
go  to  church,  and  would  get  up  in  the  morning  and 

to  his  mother:  S 

“What  day  is  to-morrow?”  A 

“Tuesday.”  9 

“Next  day?”  1 

“Wednesday.”  ft 

“Next  day?”  ® 

**Thursday”j  and  so  on,  till  he  came  to  the  answer,^ 

‘‘Sunday.”  M 

“Dear  me,”  he  said. 

I  said  to  the  mother,  “We  cannot  have  our  boy  grow 
up  to  hate  Sunday  in  this  way;  that  will  never  do.  That  | 
is  the  way  I  used  to  feel  when  I  was  a  boy.  I  used  to 
look  upon  Sunday  with  a  certain  amount  of  dread.  Very 
few  kind  words  were  associated  with  the  day.  I  don  t 
know  that  the  minister  even  noticed  me,  unless  it  was^ 
when  I  was  asleep  in  the  gallery,  and  he  had  some  one 
wake  me  up.  This  kind  of  thing  won’t  do.  We  must 
make  the  Sunday  the  most  attractive  day  of  the  week; 
not  a  day  to  be  dreaded,  but  a  day  of  pleasure.  ^ 

Well,  the  mother  took  the  work  up  with  this  boy. 
Bless  those  mothers  in  their  work  with  the  children! 
Sometimes  I  feel  as  if  I  would  rather  be  the  mother  ot 
John  Wesley  or  Martin  Luther  or  John  Knox  than  have, 
all  the  glories  in  the  world.  Those  mothers  who  ar^^ 
faithful  with  the  children  God  has  given  them  will  not 
go  unrewarded. 

My  wife  went  to  work,  and  took  Bible  stories  and  put 
those  blessed  truths  in  a  light  that  the  boy  could  com¬ 
prehend,  and  soon  his  feeling  for  the  Sabbath  was  th| 

other  way. 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


6f 


“What  day’s  to-morrow?’’  he  would  ask. 

“Sunday.’’ 

“I  am  glad.  ’’ 

If  we  make  Bible  truths  interesting,  and  break  them 
p  in  some  shape  so  that  these  children  can  get  at  them^. 
len  they  will  begin  to  enjoy  them. 

Missed  At  Last  I 

In  one  of  the  tenement  houses  in  New  York  City  a 
octor  was  sent  for.  He  came,  and  found  a  young  man 
ery  sick.  When  he  got  to  the  bedside  the  young  man 
lid: 

“Doctor,  I  don’t  want  you  to  deceive  me;  I  want  to 
now  the  worst.  Is  this  illness  to  prove  serious?’’ 

After  the  doctor  had  made  an  examination,  he  said, 
I  am  sorry  to  tell  you  you  cannot  live  out  the 
/ight. ’’ 

The  young  man  looked  up  and  said,  “Well,  then,  I 
ive  missed  it  at  last!’’ 

“Missed  what?’’ 

“I  have  missed  eternal  life.  I  always  intended  to 
:come  a  Christian  some  day,  but  I  thought  I  had  plenty 
time,  and  put  it  off.’’ 

The  doctor,  who  was  himself  a  Christian  man,  said: 
[t  is  not  too  late.  Call  on  God  for  mercy.’’ 

“No;  I  have  always  had  a  great  contempt  for  a  man 
10  repents  when  he  is  dying;  he  is  a  miserable  coward. 

I  were  not  sick,  I  would  not  have  a  thought  about  my 
ul,  and  I  am  not  going  to  insult  God  now.’’ 

The  doctor  spent  the  day  with  him,  read  to  him  out 
the  Bible,  and  tried  to  get  him  to  lay  hold  of  the 
omises.  The  young  man  said  he  would  not  call  on 
)d,  and  in  that  state  of  mind  he  passed  away.  Just  as 


62 


MOODY’S  STOR.IES 


he  was  dying  the  doctor  saw  his  lips  moving.  He  reached 
down,  and  all  he  could  hear  was  the  faint  whisper: 

“/  have  missed  it  at  last!" 

Dear  friend,  make  sure  that  you  do  not  miss  eternaP..- 
life  at  last.  « 

Choose  Now  * 

A  teacher  had  been  relating  to  his  class  the  parably 
of  the  rich  man  and  Lazarus,  and  he  asked:  J 

“Now,  which  would  you  rather  be,  boys,  the  rich  manj 

or  Lazarus?”  3 

One  boy  answered,  “I  would  rather  be  the  rich  maiQ 
while  I  live,  and  Lazarus  when  I  die.”  3 

That  cannot  be.  9 

The  Mansion  Made  Ready  j|| 

Once  when  I  was  traveling  to  a  city  there  was  a  ladyl 
in  the  car  with  me.  After  I  had  reached  the  hotel  wher^ 
I  was  to  stay,  and  had  got  comfortable  quarters,  sh^ 
came,  and  said: 

“Oh,  sir,  I  cannot  get  a  room  in  this  hotel;  they  arej 
quite  full!  How  ever  did  you  manage  to  get  a  room?”” 

“Easily  enough,”  I  replied;  “I  just  telegraphed  on^ 
before  that  I  was  coming,  to  have  a  room  ready  for  me.” 

And  it  is  somewhat  similar  in  regard  to  gaining  i 
admission  to  heaven.  Your  names  must  be  sent  on 
beforehand,  and  entered  in  its  book,  else  you  won’t  get 
in;  but  get  your  names  inscribed  on  its  pages,  and  then 
you  won’t  be  disappointed.  God  will  have  a  mansion 
ready  for  you  when  you  ascend  to  your  heavenly  home. 
When  you  come  to  its  gates,  the  guardian  angels  will 
refer  to  the  book  of  life  to  see  if  your  name  is  there.  If 
so, , pass  in;  but  if  not,  admittance  will  be  inexorably 
refused. 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


The  Promise  For  All 

Every  one  of  God’s  proclamations  is  connected  with 
:  that  word  “whosoever” — “whosoever  believeth,”  “who- 
t  soever  will.  I  think  it  was  Richard  Baxter  said  he 
1  thanked  God  for  that  whosoever.”  He  would  a  good 
(deal  rather  have  that  word  “whosoever”  than  Richard 
:  Baxter;  for  if  it  was  Richard  Baxter,  he  should  have 
thought  it  was  some  other  Richard  Baxter  who  had  lived 

ii  and  died  before  him;  but  “whosoever”  he  knew  included 
|i  him. 

I  heard  of  a  woman  once  that  thought  there  was  no 
p promise  in  the  Bible  for  her;  she  thought  the  promises 
^^were  for  some  one  else,  not  for  her.  There  are  a  good 
many  of  these  people  in  the  world.  They  think  it  is  too 
?good  to  be  true  that  they  can  be  saved  for  nothing. 
:This  woman  one  day  got  a  letter,  and  when  she  opened  it 
she  found  it  was  not  for  her  at  all;  it  was  meant  for 
another  woman  that  had  the  same  name;  and  she  had 
iher  eyes  opened  to  the  fact  that  if  she  should  find  some 
promise  in  the  Bible  directed  to  her  name,  she  would  not 
know  whether  it  meant  her  or  some  one  else  that  bore 
her  name.  But  you  know  the  word  “whosoever”  includes 
every  one  in  the  wide  world. 

Reaping  As  They  Sowed 

Although  God  forgave  the  sins  of  Jacob  and  David, 
and  the  other  Old  Testament  saints,  yet  there  were  cer¬ 
tain  consequences  of  their  sins  which  those  saints  had 
to  suffer  after  they  were  forgiven. 

If  a  man  gets  drunk  and  goes  out  and  breaks  his  leg, 
m  that  it  must  be  amputated,  God  will  forgive  him  if  he 
■asks  it,  but  he  will  have  to  hop  around  on  one  leg  all  his 
Ilife.  A  man  may  sow  thistle-seed  with  grain-sccd  in  a 


64 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


moment  of  pique  against  his  master,  and  the  master  may  9 
forgive  him,  but  the  man  will  have  to  reap  the  thistles  1 

with  the  grain.  M 

Small  Beginnings  S 

An  obscure  man  preached  one  Sunday  to  a  few  per* 
sons  in  a  Methodist  chapel  in  the  South  of  England.  A  9 
boy  of  fifteen  years  of  age  was  in  the  audience,  driven  W 
into  the  chapel  by  a  snowstorm.  The  man  took  as  his  9 
text  the  words,  “Look  unto  me  and  be  ye  saved,”  and® 
as  he  stumbled  along  as  best  he  could,  the  light  of  9 
heaven  flashed  into  that  boy’s  heart.  He  went  out  ot® 
the  chapel  saved,  and  soon  became  known  as  C.  H.  ■ 
Spurgeon,  the  boy-preacher.  m 

The  parsonage  at  Epworth,  England,  caught  fire  one  9 

night,  and  all  the  inmates  were  rescued  except  one  son.  9 
The  boy  came  to  a  window,  and  was  brought  safely  to  9 
the  ground  by  two  farm-hands,  one  standing  on  the  9 
shoulder  of  the  other.  The  boy  was  John  Wesley.  If  ■ 
you  would  realize  the  responsibility  of  that  incident,  if® 
you  would  measure  the  consequences  of  that  rescue,  ask® 
the  millions  of  Methodists  who  look  back  to  John  Wesley® 
as  the  founder  of  their  denomination. 

Saying  and  Doing  % 

A  man  was  once  conversing  with  a  Brahmin  priest, 
and  he  asked: 

“Could  you  say,  ‘I  am  the  Resurrection  and  th^ 

Life?’  ”  -m 

“Yes,”  replied  the  priest,  “I  could  say  that.”  S 
But  could  you  make  any  one  believe  itV' 

Christ  proved  His  superiority  right  there.  His  char® 
acter  and  His  actions  were  back  of  His  words.  He 
exhibited  His  divine  power  to  silence  His  enemies.  S 


I 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


^5 


i 

Climb  Higher 

I  remember  being  in  a  meeting  after  the  Civil  War 
I  had  been  going  on  for  about  six  months.  The  army  of 
lithe  North  had  been  defeated  at  Bull  Run;  in  fact,  we 
phad  nothing  but  defeat,  and  it  looked  as  though  the 
^Republic  was  going  to  pieces;  so  we  were  much  cast 
down  and  discouraged.  At  this  meeting  every  speaker 
I  for  a  while  seemed  as  if  he  had  hung  his  harp  upon  the 
; willow;  it  was  one  of  the  gloomiest  meetings  I  ever 
^attended.  Finally  an  ,  old  man  with  beautiful  white  hair 
[got  up  to  speak,  and  his  face  literally  shone. 

“Young  men,“  he  said,  “you  do  not  talk  like  sons  of 
Ithe  King.  Though  it  is  dark  just  here,  remember  it  is 
■light  somewhere  else.”  Then  he  went  on  to  say  that  if 
it  were  dark  all  over  the  world,  it  was  light  up  around 
-the  Throne. 

He  told  us  he  had  come  from  the  East,  where  a  friend 
ihad  described  to  him  how  he  had  been  up  a  mountain  to 
spend  the  night  and  see  the  sun  rise.  As  the  party  were 
climbing  up  the  mountain,  and  before  they  had  reached 
the  summit,  a  storm  came  on.  This  friend  said  to  the 
guide: 

“I  will  give  this  up;  take  me  back.” 

;  The  guide  smiled,  and  replied:  “I  think  we  shall  gel 
above  the  storm  soon.” 

On  they  went;  and  it  was  not  long  before  they  got  up 
to  where  it  was  as  calm  as  any  summer  evening.  Down 
in  the  valley  a  terrible  storm  raged;  they  could  hear  the 
thunder  rolling,  and  see  the  lightning’s  flash;  but  all  was 
serene  on  the  mountain  top. 

,  “And  so,  my  young  friends,”  continued  the  old  man, 


66 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


I 


1 


“though  all  is  dark  around  you,  come  a  little  higher, 
and  the  darkness  will  flee  away.”  ^ 

Often  when  I  have  been  inclined  to  get  discouraged,  I  ^ 
have  thought  of  what  he  said.  If  you  are  down  in  the  < 
valley  amidst  the  thick  fog  and  the  darkness,  get  a  little- 
higher;  get  nearer  to  Christ,  and  know  more  of  Him, 


The  Greatest  Miracle 

Jesus  said,  “The  works  that  I  do  shall  ye  do  also,  aod^ 
greater  works  than  these  shall  ye  do  because  I  go  to  thc^ 
Father.”  ] 

I  used  to  stumble  over  that.  I  didn’t  understand  it.l 
I  thought  what  greater  work  could  any  man  do  than* 
Christ  had  done?  How  could  any  one  raise  a  dead  man  i 
who  had  been  laid  away  in  the  sepulchre  for  days,  and! 
who  had  already  begun  to  turn  back  to  dust;  how  with  ay 
word  could  he  call  him  forth?  * 

But  the  longer  I  live  the  more  I  am  convinced  it  is  a 
greater  thing  to  influence  a  man’s  will;  a  man  whose  will 
is  set  against  God;  to  have  that  will  broken  and  brought^ 
into  subjection  to  God’s  will — or,  in  other  words,  it  is  a  f 
greater  thing  to  have  power  over  a  living,  sinning,  God-:  ' 
hating  man,  than  to  quicken  the  dead.  He  who  could:  | 
create  a  world  could  speak  a  dead  soul  into  life;  but  I  j 
think  the  greatest  miracle  this  world  has  ever  seen  wa«rl 
the  miracle  at  Pentecost.  Here  were  men  who  surrounded'  | 
the  apostles,  full  of  prejudice,  full  of  malice,  full  of  bit*  I 
terness,  their  hands,  as  it  were,  dripping  with  the  blood 
of  the  Son  of  God,  and  yet  an  unlettered  man,  a  man 
whom  they  detested,  a  man  whom  they  hated,  stands  up 
and  preaches  the  Gospel,  and  three  thousand  of  them  are 
immediately  convicted  and  converted,  and  become  dis-  J 
ciples  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


67 


Different  Kinds  of  Murder 

One  young  man  at  college,  an  only  son,  whose  mother 
wrote  to  him  remonstrating  against  his  gambling  and 
drinking  habits,  took  the  letters  out  of  the  post-office, 
and  when  he  found  that  they  were  from  her,  he  tore 
them  up  without  reading  them.  She  said: 

“I  thought  I  would  die  when  I  found  I  had  lost  my 
hold  on  that  son.” 

If  a  boy  kills  his  mother  by  his  conduct,  you  can’t  call 
it  anything  else\han  murder^  and  he  is  as  truly  guilty  of 
breaking  the  sixth  commandment  as  if  he  drove  a  dagger 
to  her  heart. 

“  It  Is  Not  For  You  I  " 

Commenting  on  the  text:  “It  is  not  for  you  to  know 
the  times  or  the  seasons,  which  the  Father  hath  put  in 
His  own  power,”  Spurgeon  said : 

‘‘If  I  were  introduced  into  a  room  where  a  large  num¬ 
ber  of  parcels  were  stored  up,  and  I  was  told  that  there 
was  something  good  for  me,  I  should  begin  to  look  for 
that  which  had  my  name  upon  it,  and  when  I  came  upon 
a  parcel  and  1  saw  in  pretty  big  letters,  'It  is  not  foryou^* 
I  should  leave  it  alone.  Here,  then,  is  a  casket  of  knowl¬ 
edge  marked,  'It  is  not  for  you  to  know  the  times  or  the 
seasons,  which  the  Father  hath  put  in  His  own  power.  ’ 
Cease  to  meddle  with  matters  which  are  concealed,  and 
be  satisfied  to  know  the  things  which  are  clearly  re¬ 
vealed.” 

Stolen  Goods  a  Burden 

I  heard  of  a  boy  who  stole  a  cannon-ball  from  a  navy- 
yard.  He  watched  his  opportunity,  sneaked  into  the 
yard,  and  secured  it.  But  when  he  had  it,  he  hardly 
knew  what  to  do  with  it.  It  was  heavy,  and  too  large 


68 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


to  conceal  in  his  pocket,  so  he  had  to  put  it  under  his 
hat.  When  he  got  home  with  it,  he  dared  not  show  it  to 
his  parents,  because  it  would  have  led  at  once  to  his 
detection. 

He  said  in  after  years  it  was  the  last  thing  he  ever 
stole. 

The  story  is  told  that  a  royal  diamond  valued  at 
$600,000  was  stolen  from  a  window  of  a  jeweler,  to 
whom  it  had  been  given  to  set.  -  A  few  months  afterward 
a  miserable  man  died  a  miserable  death  in  a  poor  lodg¬ 
ing-house.  In  his  pocket  was  found  the  diamond,  and  a 
letter  telling  how  he  had  not  dared  to  sell  it,  lest  it 
should  lead  to  his  discovery  and  imprisonment.  It 
never  brought  him  anything  but  anxiety  and  pain 

Unlocked  By  Prayer 

God’s  best  gifts,  like  valuable  jewels,  are  kept  under 
lock  and  key,  and  those  who  want  them  must,  with  fer¬ 
vent  faith,  importunately  ask  for  them;  for  God  is  the 
rev/arder  of  them  that  diligently  seek  Him. 

The  Faithful  Promiser 

God  is  always  true  to  what  He  promises  to  do.  He 
made  promises  to  Abraham,  Jacob,  Moses,  Joshua,  and 
the  others,  and  did  He  not  fulfill  them?  He  will  fulfill 
every  word  of  what  He  has  promised;  yet  how  few  take 
Him  at  His  word! 

When  I  was  a  young  man  I  was  clerk  in  the  establish¬ 
ment  of  a  man  in  Chicago,  whom  I  observed  frequently 
occupied  sorting  and  marking  bills.  He  explained  to  me 
what  he  had  been  doing;  on  some  notes  he  had  marked  i 
B,  on  some  D,  and  on  others  G;  those  marked  B,  hei 
told  me,  were  bad,  cnose  marked  D  meant  they  were* 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


6q 


doubtful,  and  those  with  G  on  them  mean  they  were 
good;  and,  said  he,  you  must  treat  all  of  them  accord¬ 
ingly.  And  thus  people  indorse  God’s  promises,  by 
marking  some  as  bad  and  others  as  doubtful;  whereas 
we  ought  to  take  all  of  them  as  good^  for  He  has  never 
once  broken  His  word,  and  all  that  He  says  He  will  do, 
will  be  done  in  the  fullness  of  time. 

Throw  Out  the  Ballast 

When  men  go  up  in  a  balloon,  they  carry  with  them 
what  they  call  ballast — that  is,  small  bags  of  sand,  and 
when  they  want  to  rise  higher  they  just  throw  out  some 
of  the  sand.  So  we,  if  we  want  to  rise  nearer  heaven, 
must  just  throw  out  some  of  the  sand,  and  cast  aside 
every  weight.  We  won’t  rise  higher  till  we  do  so. 

A  Mother’s  Love 

The  closest  tie  on  earth  is  a  mother’s  love  for  her 
child.  There  are  a  good  many  things  that  will  separate 
a  man  from  his  wife,  but  there  isn’t  a  thing  in  the  wide, 
wide  world  that  will  separate  a  true  mother  from  her  own 
child.  I  will  admit  that  there  are  unnatural  mothers, 
that  there  are  mothers  that  have  gone  out  of  their  heads, 
mothers  that  are  so  steeped  in  sin  and  iniquity  that  they 
will  turn  against  their  own  children,  but  a  true  mother 
will  never,  never  turn  against  her  own  child.  I  have 
talked  with  mothers  when  my  blood  boiled  with  indigna¬ 
tion  against  the  sons  for  their  treatment  of  their  mothers, 
and  I  have  said: 

“Why  don’t  you  cast  him  off?’’ 

They  have  said:  “Why,  Mr.  Moody,  I  love  him  still. 
He  is  my  son.” 

I  was  once  preaching  for  Dr.  G.  in  St.  Louis,  and 


70 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


M^hen  I  got  through  he  said  that  he  wanted  to  tell  me  a  B 
story.  There  was  a  boy  who  was  very  bad.  He  had  a  'S: 
very  bad  father,  who  seemed  to  take  delight  in  teaching  B 
his  son  everything  that  was  bad.  The  father  died,  and 
the  bov  went  on  from  bad  to  worse  until  he  was  arrested  11 
for  murder.  " 

When  he  was  on  trial,  it  came  out  that  he  had  mur-  m 
dnred  five  other  people,  and  from  one  end  of  the  city  to  s 
the  other  there  was  a  universal  cry  going  op  against  him.  1 
During  his  trial  they  had  to  guard  the  court-house,  the  J 
indignation  was  so  intense. 

The  white-haired  mother  got  just  as  near  her  son  as  I 
she  could,  and  every  witness  that  went  into  the  court  B 
and  said  anything  against  him  seemed  to  hurt  her  moreB 
than  her  son.  When  the  jury  brought  in  a  verdict  of  9 
guilty  a  great  shout  went  up,  but  the  old  mother  nearly  B 
fainted  away;  and  when  the  judge  pronounced  the  sen- 9 
tence  of  death  they  thought  she  would  faint  away.  9 

After  it  was  over  she  threw  her  arms  around  him  and  9 
kissed  him,  and  there  in  the  court  they  had  to  tear  him  9 
from  her  embrace.  She  then  went  the  length  and  9 
breadth  of  the  city  trying  to  get  men  to  sign  a  petition  9 
for  his  pardon.  And  when  he  was  hanged,  she  begged  9 
the  governor  to  let  her  have  the  body  of  her  son,  that  9 
she  might  bury  it.  They  say  that  death  has  torn  downB 
everything  in  this  world,  everything  but  a  mother’s  love.  9 
That  is  stronger  than  death  itself.  The  governor  refused® 
to  let  her  have  the  body,  but  she  cherished  the  memory® 
of  that  boy  as  long  as  she  lived.  9 

A  few  months  later  she  followed  her  boy,  and  when  9i 
she  was  dying  she  sent  word  to  the  governor,  and  beggedB 
that  her  body  might  be  laid  close  to  her  son.  That  is  a® 
mother’s  love!  She  wasn’t  ashamed  to  have  her  grave®! 


MOODY'S  STORIES 


pointed  out  for  all  time  as  the  grave  of  the  mother  of  the 
most  noted  criminal  the  State  of  Vermont  ever  had. 

The  prophet  takes  hold  of  that  very  idea.  He  says: 
“Can  a  mother  forget  her  child?”  But  a  mother’s  love 
is  not  to  be  compared  to  the  love  of  God. 

Restitution 

I  was  preaching  in  British  Columbia  some  years  ago 
and  a  young  man  came  to  me,  and  wanted  to  become  a 
Christian.  He  had  been  smuggling  opium  into  the 
States. 

“Well,  my  friend,”  I  said,  “I  don’t  think  there  is  any 
chance  for  you  to  become  a  Christian  until  you  make 
restitution.”  He  said,  “If  I  attempt  to  do  that,  I  will 
fall  into  the  clutches  of  the  law,  and  I  will  go  to  the 
penitentiary.”  “Well,”  I  replied,  “you  had  better  do 
that  than  go  to  the  judgment-seat  of  God  with  that  sin 
upon  your  soul,  and  have  eternal  punishment.  The 
Lord  will  be  very  merciful  if  you  set  your  face  to  do 
right.” 

He  went  away  sorrowful,  but  came  back  the  next  day, 
and  said:  “I  have  a  young  wife  and.  child,  and  all  the 
furniture  in  my  house  I  have  bought  with  money  I  have 
got  in  this  dishonest  way.  If  I  become  a  Christian,  that 
furniture  will  have  to  go,  and  my  wife  will  know  it.*' 

“Better  let  your  wife  know  it,  and  better  let  your 
home  and  furniture  go.” 

“Would  you  come  up  and  see  my  wife?”  he  asked ;  “1 
don’t  know  what  she  will  say.  ” 

I  went  up  to  see  her,  and  when  I  told  her,  the  tears 
trickled  down  her  cheeks,  and  she  said:  “Mr.  Moody, 
I  will  gladly  give  everything  if  my  husband  can  become 
a  true  Christian.  ” 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


72 


She  took  out  her  pocketbook,  and  handed  over  her 
last  penny.  He  had  a  piece  of  land  in  the  United 
States,  which  he  deeded  over  to  the  government.  I  do 
not  know,  in  all  my  backward  track,  of  any  living  man^ 
who  has  had  a  better  testimony  for  Jesus  Christ  than 
that  man.  He  had  been  dishonest,  but  when  the  truth 
came  to  him  that  he  must  make  it  right  before  God 
.would  help  him,  he  made  it  right. 

No  amount  of  weeping  over  sin,  and  saying  that  you 
feel  sorry,  is  going  to  help  it  unless  you  are  willing  to 
confess  and  make  restitution. 


Willie  and  the  Bears 


I  said  to  my  little  family,  one  morning,  a  few  weeks 
before  the  Chicago  fire,  “I  am  coming  home  this  after¬ 
noon  to  give  you  a  ride.  ” 

My  little  boy  clapped  his  hands.  “Oh,  papa,  will 
you  take  me  to  see  the  bears  in  Lincoln  Park?” 

“Yes.” 

I  had  not  been  gone  long  when  my  little  boy  said, 
“Mamma,  I  wish  you  would  get  me  ready.” 

“Oh,”  she  said,  “it  will  be  a  long  time  before  papa 


comes. 

i  i 


I  f 


But  I  want  to  get  ready,  mamma. 

At  last  he  was  ready  to  have  the  ride,  face  washed, 
and  clothes  all  nice  and  clean. 

“Now,  you  must  take  good  care,  and  not  get  your¬ 
self  dirty  again,”  said  mamma. 

Of  course,  he  was  going  to  take  care;  he  wasn’t  going 
to  get  dirty!  So  off  he  ran  to  watch  for  me.  However, 
it  was  a  long  time  yet  until  the  afternoon,  and  after  a  . 
little  he  began  to  play.  When  I  got  home,  I  found  him- 
outside,  with  his  face  all  covered  with  dirt. 


I 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


73 


“I  can’t  take  you  to  the  park  that  way,  Willie.” 

‘‘Why,  papa?  you  said  you  would  take  me.” 

‘‘Ah,  but  I  can’t;  you’re  all  over  mud.  I  couldn’t 
be  seen  with  such  a  dirty  little  boy.” 

‘‘Why,  I’se  clean,  papa;  mamma  washed  me.” 

“Well,  you’ve  got  dirty  again.” 

But  he  began  to  cry,  and  I  could  not  convince  him 
that  he  was  dirty. 

“I’se  clean;  mamma  washed  me!”  he  cried. 

Do  you  think  I  argued  with  him?  No.  I  just  took 
him  up  in  my  arms,  and  carried  him  into  the  house,  and 
showed  him  his  face  in  the  looking-glass.  He  had  not  a 
word  to  say.  He  would  not  take  my  word  for  it;  but 
one  look  at  the  glass  was  enough;  he  saw  it  for  himself. 
He  didn’t  say  he  wasn’t  dirty  after  that! 

Now,  the  looking-glass  showed  him  that  his  face  was 
dirty — but  I  did  not  take  the  looking-glass  to  tvash  it;  of 
course  not.  Yet  that  is  just  what  thousands  of  people 
do.  The  Law  is  the  looking-glass  to  see  ourselves  in, 
to  show  us  how  vile  and  worthless  we  are  in  the  sight  of 
God;  but  they  take  the  Law  and  try  to  wash  themselves 
with  it,  instead  of  being  washed  in  the  blood  of  the 
Lamb. 

Christ  'For  All 

An  old  Welshwoman  said  Christ  was  Welsh,  and  an 
Englishman  said: 

“No,  He  was  a  jew.” 

She  declared  that  she  knew  He  was  Welsh,  because 
He  spoke  so  that  she  could  understand  Him. 

Starting  Right 

Many  a  man  is  lost  because  he  does  not  start  right. 
He  makes  a  bad  start.  A  young  man  comes  from  his 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


7i 

country  home,  and  enters  upon  city  life.  Temptation 
arises,  and  he  becomes  false  to  his  principles.  He  meets 
with  some  scoffing,  sneering  man,  who  jeers  at  him 
because  he  goes  to  a  church  service;  or  because  he  is 
seen  reading  his  Bible;  or  because  he  is  known  to  pray 
to  God.  And  the  young  man  proves  to  be  weak-kneed; 
he  cannot  stand  the  scoffs  and  the  sneers  and  the  jeers 
of  his  companions;  and  so  he  becomes  untrue  to  his 
principles,  and  gives  them  up. 

I  want  to  say  here  to  young  men,  that  when  a  young 
man  makes  a  wrong  start,  in  ninety-nine  cases  out  of  a 
hundred  it  is  ruin  to  him.  The  first  game, of  chance; 
the  first  betting  transaction ;  the  first  false  entry  in  the 
books;  the  first  quarter-dollar  taken  from  the  cash-box 
or  the  till;  the  first  night  spent  in  evil  company — either 
of  these  may  prove  the  turning-point;  either  of  these 
may  represent  a  wrong  start. 

% 

Napoleon  and  the  Conscript 

There  is  a  well-known  story  told  of  Napoleon  the 
First’s  time.  In  one  of  the  conscriptions,  during  one  of 
his  many  wars,  a  man  was  balloted  as  a  conscript  who 
did  not  want  to  go,  but  he  had  a  friend  who  offered  to 
go  in  his  place.  His  friend  joined  the  regiment  in  his 
name,  and  was  sent  off  to  the  war.  By  and  by  a  battle 
came  on,  in  which  he  was  killed,  and  they  buried  him  on 
the  battle-field.  Some  time  after,  the  Emperor  wanted 
more  men,  and  by  some  mistake  the  first  man  was 
balloted  a  second  time.  They  went  to  take  him,  but  he 
remonstrated.  < 

“You  cannot  take  me.” 

“Why  not?” 

“I  am  dead,"  was  the  reply. 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


75 


“You  are  not  dead;  you  are  alive  and  well.” 

“But  I  am  dead,”  he  said. 

“Why,  man,  you  must  be  mad.  Where  did  you  die?” 

“At  such  a  battle,  and  you  left  me  buried  on  such  a 
battle-field.  ” 

“You  talk  like  a  madman,”  they  cried;  but  the  man 
stuck  to  his  point  that  he  had  been  dead  and  buried  some 
months. 

“Look  up  your  books,”  he  said,  “and  see  if  it  is  not 

SO. 

They  looked,  and  found  that  he  was  right.  They 
found  the  man’s  name  entered  as  drafted,  sent  to  the 
war,  and  marked  off  as  killed. 

“Look  here,”  they  said,  “you  didn’t  die;  you  must 
have  got  some  one  to  go  for  you ;  it  must  have  been 
your  substitute.  ’  ’ 

“I  know  that,”  he  said;  “he  died  in  my  stead.  You 
cannot  touch  me;  I  died  in  that  man,  and  I  go  free. 
The  law  has  no  claim  against  me.” 

They  would  not  recognize  the  doctrine  of  substitution, 
and  the  case  was  carried  to  the  Emperor.  He  said  that 
the  man  was  right,  that  he  was  dead  and  buried  in  the 
eyes  of  the  law,  and  that  France  had  no  claim  against 
him. 

This  story  may  or  may  not  be  true,  but  one  thing  I 
know  is  true:  Jesus  Christ  suffered  death  for  the  sinner, 
and  those  who  accept  Him  are  free  from  the  Law. 

Green  Fields  or  Desert  ? 

When  I  was  out  in  California,  the  first  time  I  went 
down  from  the  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains  and  dropped 
into  the  Valley  of  the  Sacramento,  I  was  surprised  to 
find  on  one  farm  that  everything  about  it  was  green — all 


76 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


the  trees  and  flowers,  everything  was  blooming,  and 
everything  was  green  and  beautiful,  and  just  across  the 
hedge  everything  was  dried  up,  and  there  was  not  a 
green  thing  there.  I  could  not  understand  it.  I  made 
inquiries,  and  I  found  that  the  man  that  had  everything 
green,  irrigated;  he  just  poured  the  water  right  on,  and 
kept  everything  green,  while  the  fields  that  were  next  to 
his  were  as  dry  as  Gideon’s  fleece  without  a  drop  of  dew. 

So  it  is  with  a  great  many  in  the  church  to-day.  They 
are  like  these  farms  in  California — a  dreary  desert,  every¬ 
thing  parched  and  desolate,  and  apparently  no  life  in 
them.  .  They  can  sit  next  to  a  man  who  is  full  of  the 
Spirit  of  God,  who  is  like  a  green  bay  tree,  and  who  is 
bringing  forth  fruit,  and  yet  they  will  not  seek  a  similar 
blessing. 

Well,  why  this  difference?  Because  God  has  poured 
water  on  him  that  was  thirsty;  that  is  the  difference. 
One  has  been  seeking  this  anointing,  and  he  has  received 
it ;  and  when  we  want  this  above  everything  else  God  will 
surely  give  it  to  us. 

Religion  In  the  Home 

What  we  want  is  family  piety,  righteousness  in  our 
homes.  A  young  minister  came  to  me,  and  said  he 
couldn’t  get  along  with  his  wife,  and  what  should  he  do? 
I  told  him  to  get  out  of  the  ministry.  A  man  has  no 
right  to  be  in  the  pulpit  unless  he  can  get  along  with  his 
family. 

A  Universal  Failing 

It  is  a  false  idea  that  all  pride  is  confined  to  the  upper 
classes.  You  will  find  it  in  the  lanes  and  alleys.  You„ 
will  find  little  dirty,  barefooted  children  who  will  get  a 
string  of  shavings,  put  it  round  their  necks,  and  strut 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


77 


down  the  street  as  if  they  were  wearing  golden  beads. 
Pride  is  born  and  grows  in  the  human  heart.  You  do 
not  plant  it  there;  it  grows  there  of  itself.  There  is  as 
much  pride  among  the  poor  as  among  the  rich;  and  that 
is  one  reason  why  more  of  them  do  not  come  to  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ:  they  do  not  like  to  be  laughed  at,  scoffed 
at,  sneered  at,  and  ridiculed.  It  costs  them  too  much 

Words  and  Actions 

A  man  may  preach  with  the  eloquence  of  an  angel, 
but  if  he  doesn’t  live  what  he  preaches,  and  act  out  in  hi? 
home  and  his  business  what  he  professes,  his  te&timony 
goes  for  naught,  and  the  people  say  it  is  all  hypocrisy 
after  all;  it  is  all  a  sham.  Words  are  very  empty,  if 
there  is  nothing  back  of  them.  Your  testimony  is  poor 
and  worthless,  if  there  is  not  a  record  back  of  that  testi¬ 
mony  consistent  with  what  you  profess.  What  we  need 
is  to  pray  to  God  to  lift  us  up  out  of  this  low,  cold,  formal 
state  that  we  live  in,  that  we  may  dwell  in  the  atmos¬ 
phere  of  God  continually,  and  that  the  Lord  may  lift 
upon  us  the  light  of  His  countenance,  and  that  we  may 
shine  in  this  world,  reflecting  His  grace  and  glory. 

The  One-Eyed  Doe 

There  is  an  old  fable  that  a  doe  that  had  but  one  eye 
used  to  graze  near  the  sea;  and  in  order  to  be  safe,  she 
kept  her  blind  eye  toward  the  water,  from  which  side  she 
expected  no  danger,  while  with  the  good  eye  she  watched 
the  country.  Some  men,  noticing  this,  took  a  boat  and 
came  upon  her  from  the  sea  and  shot  her.  With  her 
dying  breath,  she  said: 

“Oh!  hard  fate!  that  I  should  receive  my  death 
wound  from  that  side  whence  I  expected  no  harm,  and 
be  safe  in  the  part  where  I  looked  for  most  danger.” 


78 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


Lost  Opportunities 

If  a  farmer  neglects  to  plant  in  the  springtime,  he 
can  never  recover  the  lost  opportunity;  no  more  can 
you,  if  you  neglect  yours.  Youth  is  a  seed-time,  and  if 
it  is  allowed  to  pass  without  good  seed  being  sown, 
weeds  will  spring  up  and  choke  the  soil.  It  will  take 
bitter  toil  to  uproot  them. 

An  old  divine  said  that  when  a  good  farmer  sees  ?, 
weed  in  his  field  he  has  it  pulled  up.  If  it  is  taken  early 
enough,  the  blank  is  soon  filled  in,  and  the  crop  waves 
over  the  whole  field.  But  if  allowed  to  run  too  late,  the 
bald  patch  remains.  It  would  have  been  better  if  the 
weed  had  never  been  allowed  to  get  root. 


Steer  Clear 

A  steamboat  was  stranded  in  the  Mississippi  River, 
and  the  captain  could  not  get  her  off.  Eventually  a 
hard-looking  fellow  came  on  board,  and  said; 

“Captain,  I  understand  you  want  a  pilot  to  take  you 
out  of  this  difficulty?” 

The  captain  said,  “Are  you  a  pilot?” 

‘Well,  they  call  me  one.” 

Do  you  know  where  the  snags  and  sand-bars  are?” 
No,  sir.” 

“Well,  how  do  you  expect  to  take  me  out  of  here  if 
you  don’t  know  where  the  snags  and  sand-bars  are?” 

“I  know  where  they  ain’t!”  was  the  reply. 

Beware  of  temptations.  “Lead  us  not  into  tempta¬ 
tion,”  our  Lord  taught  us  to  pray;  and  again  He  said, 
“Watch  and  pray,  lest  ye  enter  into  temptation,”  We 
are  weak  and  sinful  by  nature,  and  it  is  a  good  deal  bet¬ 
ter  for  us  to  pray  for  deliverance  rather  than  to  run  intOj 
temptation  and  then  pray  for  strength  to  resist. 


i  i  ‘ 


(  i 


ii 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


79 


Looking  for  Revivals 

Men  are  anxious  for  a  revival  in  business.  There  is  a 
great  revival  in  politics  just  now.  In  all  departments 
of  life  you  find  that  men  are  very  anxious  for  a  revival 
in  the  things  that  concern  them  most. 

If  this  is  legitimate — and  it  is  perfectly  right  in  its 
place — should  not  every  child  of  God  be  praying  for  and 
desiring  a  revival  of  godliness  in  the  world  at  the  present 
time?  Do  we  not  need  a  revival  of  downright  honesty, 
of  truthfulness,  of  uprightness,  and  of  temperance?  Are 
there  not  many  who  have  become  alienated  from  the 
Church  of  God  and  from  the  house  of  the  Lord,  who  are 
forming  an  attachment  to  the  saloon?  Are  not  our  sons 
being  drawn  away  by  hundreds  and  thousands,  so  that 
while  you  often  find  the  churches  empty,  the  liquor 
shops  are  crowded  every  Sabbath  afternoon  and  evening? 
I  am  sure  the  saloon-keepers  are  glad  if  they  can  have 
a  revival  in  their  business;  they  do  not  object  to  sell 
more  whisky  and  beer.  Then  surely  every  true  Chris¬ 
tian  ought  to  desire  that  men  who  are  in  danger  of  per¬ 
ishing  eternally  should  be  saved  and  rescued. 

Opportunity 

A  sculptor  once  showed  a  visitor  his  studio.  It  was 
full  of  statues  of  gods.  One  was  very  curious.  The 
face  was  concealed  by  being  covered  with  hair,  and  there 
were  wings  on  each  foot. 

“What  is  his  name?"  said  the  visitor. 

“Opportunity,”  was  the  reply. 

“Why  is  his  face  hidden?” 

“Because  men  seldom  know  him  when  he  comes  to 
them.  ” 

“Why  has  he  wings  on  his  feet?” 


So 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


“Because  he  is  soon  gone,  and  once  gone  can  never 
be  overtaken.  ’’ 

It  becomes  us,  then,  to  make  the  most  of  the  oppor¬ 
tunities  God  has  given  us. 

The  Usual  Way 

I  used  at  one  time  to  read  so  many  chapters  of  the 
Bible  a  day,  and  if  I  did  not  get  through  my  usual 
quantity,  I  thought  I  was  getting  cold  and  backsliding. 
But,  mind  you,  if  a  man  had  asked  me  two  hours  after¬ 
ward  what  I  had  read,  I  could  not  tell  him;  I  had  for¬ 
gotten  it  nearly  all. 

When  I  was  a  boy  I  used,  among  other  things,  to  hoe 
corn  on  a  farm;  and  I  used  to  hoe  it  so  badly,  in  order 
to  get  over  so  much  ground,  that  at  night  I  had  to  put 
down  a  stick  in  the  ground,  so  as  to  know  next  morning 
where  I  had  left  off. 

That  was  somewhat  in  the  same  fashion  as  running 
through  so  many  chapters  every  day.  A  man  will  say, 
“Wife,  did  I  read  that  chapter?” 

“Well,”  says  she,  “I  don’t  remember.” 

And  neither  of  them  can  recollect.  And  perhaps  he 
reads  the  same  chapter  over  and  over  again;  and  they 
call  that  “studying  the  Bible.”  I  do  not  think  there  is 
a  book  in  the  world  we  neglect  so  much  as  the  Bible, 

Getting  On  Splendidly 

One  man  said  to  another,  some  time  ago:  “How  are 
you  getting  on  at  your  church?” 

“Oh,  splendid.” 

“Many  conversions?” 

“Well — well,  on  that  side  we  are  not  getting  on  so 
well.  But,”  he  said,  “we  have  rented  all  our  pews  and 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


Si 


are  able  to  pay  all  our  running  expenses.  We  are  get¬ 
ting  on  splendidly.” 

That  is  what  the  godless  call  “getting  on  splendidly.  ” 
They  rent  the  pews,  pay  the  minister,  and  meet  all  the 
running  expenses.* 

A  man  was  being  shown  through  one  of  the  cathedrals 
of  Europe;  he  had  come  in  from  the  country.  One  of 
the  men  belonging  to  the  cathedral  was  showing  him 
around,  when  he  inquired: 

“Do  you  have  may  conversions  here?” 

“Many  what?” 

“Many  conversions  here?” 

“Ah,  man,  this  is  not  a  Wesleyan  chapel.” 

The  idea  of  there  being  conversions  there!  And  you 
can  go  into  a  good  many  churches  in  this  country  and 
ask  if  they  have  many  conversions  there,  and  they  would 
not  know  what  it  meant,  they  are  so  far  away  from  the 
Lord;  they  are  not  looking  for  conversions,  and  don’t 
expect  them. 

A  Hundred  Years  Hence 

Once,  as  I  was  walking  down  the  street,  I  heard 
some  people  laughing  and  talking  aloud.  One  of  them 
said : 

“Well,  there  will  be  no  difference;  it  will  be  all  the 
same  a  hundred  years  hence.” 

The  thought  flashed  across  my  mind,  “Will  there  be 
no  difference?  Where  will  you  be  a  hundred  years 
hence?” 

Young  man,  just  ask  yourself  the  question,  “Where 
shall  I  be?”  Some  of  you  who  are  getting  on  in  years 
may  be  in  eternity  ten  years  hence.  Where  will  you  be, 
on  the  left  or. the  right  hand  of  God?  I  cannot  tell  your 


82 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


feelings,  but  I  can  my  own.  I  ask  you,  “Where  will 
you  spend  eternity?  Where  will  you  be  a  hundred  years 
hence?” 

A  Free  Gift 

Remember,  salvation  is  a  free  gift,  and  it  is  a  free 
gift  for  us.  Can  you  buy  it?  It  is  a  free  gift,  presented 
to  “whosoever”  will  accept  it. 

Suppose  I  were  to  say,  I  will  give  this  Bible  to  “who¬ 
soever”  will  take  it;  what  have  you  got  to  do?  Why, 
nothing  but  take  it.  But  a  man  comes  forward,  and  says: 

“I’d  like  that  Bible  very  much.” 

“Well,  didn’t  I  say  ‘whosoever’  will  can  have  it?” 

“Yes;  but  I’d  like  to  have  you  mention  my  name.” 

“Well,  here  it  is.  ” 

Still  he  keeps  eyeing  the  Bible,  and  saying,  “I’d  like 
to  have  that  Bible ;  but  I’d  like  to  give  you  something  for 
it.  I  don’t  like  to  take  it  for  nothing.” 

“But  I  am  not  here  to  sell  Bibles;  take  it,  if  you 
want  it.” 

“Well,  I  want  it;  but  I’d  like  to  give  you  something 
for  it.  Let  me  give  you  a  cent  for  it;  though,  to  be 
sure,  it’s  worth  about  five  dollars.” 

Suppose  I  accept  the  cent;  the  man  takes  up  the  Bible 
and  marches  away  home  with  it. 

His  wife  asks,  “Where  did  you  get  that  Bible?” 

“Oh,  I  bought  it.” 

Mark  the  point;  when  he  gave  the  penny,  it  ceased  to 
be  a  gift.  So  with  salvation.  If  you  were  to  pay  ever 
so  little,  it  would  not  be  a  gift. 

What  Seed  Are  You  Sowing  ? 

Suppose  I  meet  a  man  who  is  sowing  seed,  and  say, 
“Hello,  stranger,  what  are  you  sowing?” 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


^3 


“Seed.” 

“What  kind  of  seed?” 

“I  don’t  know.  ” 

“Don’t  you  know  whether  it  is  good  or  bad?” 

“No;  I  can’t  tell.  But  it  is  seed — that  is  all  I  want 
to  know,  and  I  am  sowing  it.” 

You  would  say  that  he  was  a  first-class  lunatic, 
wouldn’t  you?  But  he  wouldn’t  be  half  so  mad  as  the 
man  who  goes  on  sowing  for  time  and  eternity,  and  never 
asks  himself  what  he  is  sowing  or  what  the  harvest  will  be. 

Father,  what  seed  are  you  sowing  in  your  family? 
Are  you  setting  your  children  a  good  or  a  bad  example? 
Do  you  spend  your  time  at  the  saloon  or  the  club,  until 
you  have  become  almost  a  stranger  to  them?  or  are  you 
training  them  for  God  and  righteousness? 


Bound  Hand  and  Foot 


I  When  I  was  speaking  to  five  thousand  children  in 
j  Glasgow  some  years  ago,  I  took  a  spool  of  thread  and 

said  to  one  of  the  largest  boys: 

“Do  you  believe  I  can  bind  you  with  that  thread?” 

He  laughed  at  the  idea.  I  wound  the  thread  around 
him  a  few  times,  and  he  broke  it  with  a  single  jerk. 
Then  I  wound  the  thread  around  and  around,  and  by 
and  by  I  said; 

“Now  get  free  if  you  can.” 

He  couldn't  move  head  or  foot.  If  you  are  slave  to 
some  vile  habit,  you  must  either  slay  that  habit,  or  it  will 
I  slay  you. 


Unity 

There  is  one  thing  I  have  noticed  as  I  have  traveled  in 
different  countries;  I  never  yet  have  known  the  Spirit  of 
God  to  work  where  the  Lord’s  people  were  divided. 


84 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


Unity  is  one  thing  that  we  must  have  if  we  are  to  havfc 
the  Holy  Spirit  of  God  to  work  in  our  midst. 

If  a  church  is  divided,  the  members  should  immedi¬ 
ately  seek  unity.  Let  the  believers  come  together  and 
get  the  difficulty  out  of  the  way.  If  the  minister  of  a 
church  cannot  unite  the  people,  if  those  that  were  dissat¬ 
isfied  will  not  fall  in,  it  would  be  better  for  that  minister 
to  "retire.  I  think  there  are  a  good  many  ministers  in 
this  country  who  are  losing  their  time;  they  have  lost, 
some  of  them,  months  and  years;  they  have  not  seen  any 
fruit,  and  they  will  not  see  any  fruit,  because  they  have  a 
divided  church.  Such  a  church  cannot  grow  in  divine 
things.  The  Spirit  of  God  doesn’t  work  where  there  is 
division,  and  what  we  want  to-day  is  the  spirit  of  unity 
amongst  God’s  children,  so  that  the  Lord  may  work. 

Get  Inside  1 

You  have  looked  at  the  windows  of  a  grand  church 
erected  at  the  cost  of  many  thousands  of  dollars.  From 
the  outside  they  did  not  seem  very  beautiful ;  but  get 
inside,  when  the  rays  of  the  sun  are  striking  upon  the 
stained  glass,  and  you  begin  to  understand  what  others 
have  told  you  of  their  magnificence.  So  it  is  when  you 
have  come  into  personal  contact  with  Christ.  You  find 
Him  to  be  the  very  Savior  and  friend  you  need.  You 
will  see  in  Him  what  you  have  never  seen  before. 

Hunt  For  Something 

We  must  study  the  Bible  thoroughly,  and  hunt  it 
through,  as  it  were,  for  some  great  truth. 

If  a  friend  were  to  see  me  searching  about  a  building, 
and  were  to  come  up,  and  say,  “Moody,  what  are  you 
looking  for?  Have  you  lost  something?’’  and  I  were  to 
say,  “No,  I  haven’t  lost  anything;  I’m  not  looking  for 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


85 


anything  particular,”  I  fancy  he  would  just  let  me  go  on 
by  myself,  and  think  me  very  foolish.  But  if  I  were  to 
say,  “Yes,  I  have  lost  a  dollar,”  why,  then,  I  might 
expect  him  to  help  me  to  find  it. 

Read  the  Bible,  my  friends,  as  if  you  were  seeking 
for  something  of  value.  It  is  a  good  deal  better  to  take 
a  single  chapter,  and  spend  a  month  on  it,  than  to  read 
the  Bible  at  random  for  a  month. 

“When  Ye  Think  Not” 

McCheyne,  the  Scotch  preacher,  once  said  to  some 
friends,  “Do  you  think  Christ  will  come  to-night?” 

One  after  another  they  said,  “I  think  not.” 

When  all  had  given  this  answer,  he  solemnly  repeated 
this  text,  “The  Son  of  Man  cometh  at  an  hour  when  ye 
think  not.'' 

Home  Piety 

If  a  Christian  is  unsound  in  patience  or  unsound  in 
love,  we  take  no  notice  of  it;  but  let  him  be  unsound  in 
faith,  and  off  goes  his  head.  I  do  hate  to  see  a  minister 
or  professing  Christian  mean  and  peevish  to  his  wife, 
and  yet  be  as  polite  as  a  dancing-master  to  other  women. 
I  tell  you  he  is  not  fit  to  preach  the  Word  of  God.  I 
don’t  want  to  have  anything  to  do  with  him.  The  home 
was  established  before  the  church,  and  he  sadly  needs 
more  home  piety. 

Constant  Watching 

The  Persians  had  an  annual  festival  when  they  slew 
all  the  serpents  and  venomous  creatures  they  could  find; 
but  they  allowed  them  to  swarm  as  fast  and  freely  as 
ever  until  the  festival  came  round  once  more.  It  was 
poor  policy.  Sins,  like  serpents,  breed  quickly,  and 
need  to  be  constantly  watched. 


86 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


The  Wrong  Physician 

I  heard  once  of  a  man  who  went  to  England  from  the 
Continent,  and  brought  letters  with  him  to  eminent  phy¬ 
sicians  from  the  Emperor.  The  letters  said: 

“This  man  is  a  personal  friend  of  mine,  and  we  are 
afraid  he  is  going  to  lose  his  reason.  Do  all  you  can  for 
him.” 

The  doctor  asked  him  if  he  had  lost  any  dear  friend 
in  his  own  country,  or  any  position  of  importance,  or 
what  it  was  that  was  weighing  on  his  mind. 

The  young  man  said :  “No;  but  my  father  and  grand¬ 
father  and  myself  were  brought  up  infidels,  and  for  the 
last  two  or  three  years  this  thought  has  been  haunting 
me,  ‘Where  shall  I  spend  eternity?’  And  the  thought  of 
it  follows  me  day  and  night.” 

The  doctor  said,  “You  have  come  to  the  wrong  phy¬ 
sician,  but  I  will  tell  you  of  One  who  can  cure  you”  ;  and 
be  told  him  of  Christ,  and  read  to  him  the  fifty-third 
chapter  of  Isaiah,  “With  His  stripes  we  are  healed.” 

The  young  man  said,  “Doctor,  do  you  believe  that?” 

The  doctor  told  him  he  did,  and  prayed  and  wrestled 
with  him,  and  at’last  the  clear  light  of  Calvary  shone  on 
his  soul.  He  had  settled  the  question  in  his  own  mind 
at  last,  where  he  would  spend  eternity. 

I  ask  you,  sinner,  to  settle  it  now.  It  is  for  you  to 
decide.  Shall  it  be  with  the  saints  and  martyrs  and 
prophets,  or  in  the  dark  caverns  of  hell,  amidst  black¬ 
ness  and  darkness  forever?  Make  haste  to  be  wise;  for 
“how  shall  we  escape  if  we  neglect  so  great  salvation?” 

Seeking  the  Lost 

I  remember,  when  we  were  in  London,  they  found  one 
old  woman  who  was  eighty-five  years  old,  and  not  a 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


87 


Christian.  After  the  worker  had  prayed,  she  made  a 
prayer  herself; 

“O  Lord,  I  thank. Thee  for  going  out  of  Thy  way  to 
find  me.  ” 

He  is  all  the  time  going  out  of  His  way  to  find  the  lost. 

He  Got  Time  To  Think 

I  was  once  preaching  on  the  text,  “Be  not  deceived; 
God  is  not  mocked;  for  whatsoever  a  man  soweth,  that 
shall  he  also  reap.  “  No  sooner  had  I  read  it  than  a  man 
stood  right  up  in  the  audience  and  said: 

“I  don’t  believe  it. “ 

I  said;  “My  friend,  that  doesn’t  change  the  fact. 
Truth  is  truth,  whether  you  believe  it  or  not;  and  a  lie 
is  a  lie,  whether  you  believe  it  or  not.” 

He  didn’t  want  to  believe  it.  When  the  meeting 
broke  up,  an  officer  was  at  the  door  to  arrest  him.  He 
was  tried  and  sent  to  the  penitentiary  for  twelve  months 
for  stealing.  I  really  believe  that  when  he  got  into  his 
cell,  he  believed  that  he  had  to  reap  what  he  sowed. 

The  Motherless  Child 

Once  I  heard  of  a  little  sick  child,  whose  mother  was 
seriously  ill;  and  so,  in  order  that  she  might  have  quiet, 
and  that  the  sick  child  might  be  no  trouble  to  her,  the 
little  one  was  taken  away  to  a  friend’s  house,  and  placed 
in  charge  of  a  kind  lady  for  a  time.  The  mother  grew 
worse,  and  at  length  died.  The  father  said: 

“We’ll  not  trouble  the  child  about  it;  she  is  too 
young  to  remember  her  mother;  just  let  her  remain 
where  she  is  until  the  funeral  is  over.’’ 

This  was  done,  and  in  a  few  days  the  little  girl  was 
brought  back  to  the  house.  No  mention  was  made  of 
her  mother,  or  of  what  had  occurred ;  but  no  sooner  was 


88 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


she  taken  to  the  house  than  she  ran  first  into  one  room, 
then  into  another,  into  the  parlor,  the  dining-room,  and 
all  over  the  house,  and  then  away  into  a  little  room 
where  her  mother  used  to  go  to  pray  alone. 

“Where  is  mother?”  she  cried.  “I  want  mother!” 

And  when  they  were  compelled  to  tell  her  what  had 
happened,  she  cried  out: 

“Take  me  away,  take  me  away;  I  don't  want  to  be 
here  without  mother.” 

It  was  the  mother  made  it  home  to  her.  And  so  it 
is  in  heaven.  It  is  not  so  much  the  white  robes,  the 
golden  crown,  or  the  harps  of  gold,  but  it  is  the  society 
we  shall  meet  there.  Who,  then,  are  there?  What  com¬ 
pany  shall  we  have  when  we  get  there?  Jesus  is  there, 
the  Holy  Father  is  there,  the  Spirit  is  there — our  Father, 
our  elder  Brother,  our  Comforter. 

Converted  the  Regular  Way 

I  never  yet  knew  a  man  converted  just  in  the  time 
and  manner  he  expected  to  be.  I  have  heard  people 
say,  “Well,  if  ever  I  am  converted,  it  won't  be  in  a 
Methodist  church;  you  won’t  catch  me  there.”  I  never 
knew  a  man  say  that  but,  at  last,  if  converted  at  all,  it 
Avas  in  a  Melhodist  church. 

In  Scotland  a  man  was  converted  at  one  of  our  meet¬ 
ings — an  employer.  He  was  very  anxious  that  all  his 
employes  should  be  reached,  and  he  used  to  send  them 
one  by  one  to  the  meetings.  But  there  was  one  em¬ 
ploye  that  wouldn’t  come.  We  are  all  more  or  less 
troubled  with  stubbornness;  and  the  moment  this  man 
found  that  his  employer  wanted  him  to  go  to  the  meet¬ 
ings,  he  made  up  his  mind  he  wouldn't  go.  If  he  was 
going  to  be  converted  he  said,  he  was  going  to  be  con- 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


89 


verted  by  some  ordained  minister;  he  was  not  going  to 
any  meeting  that  was  conducted  by  unordained  Ameri¬ 
cans.  He  believed  in  conversion,  but  he  was  going  to  be 
converted  the  regular  way.  He  believed  in  the  regular 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Scotland,  and  that  was  the 
place  for  him  to  be  converted. 

The  employer  tried  every  way  he  could  to  get  him  to 
attend  the  meetings,  but  he  wouldn’t  come. 

After  we  left  that  town  and  went  away  up  to  Inver¬ 
ness,  the  employer  had  some  business  up  there,  and  he 
sent  this  employ^  to  attend  to  it,  in  the  hope  that  he 
would  attend  some  of  our  meetings. 

One  night,  as  I  was  preaching  on  the  bank  of  a  river, 
I  happened  to  take  for  my  text  the  words  of  Naaman: 
“I  thought;  I  thought.”  I  was  trying  to  take  men’s 
thoughts  up  and  to  show  the  difference  between  their 
thoughts  and  God’s  thoughts.  This  man  happened  to  be 
walking  along  the  bank  of  the  river.  He  saw  a  great 
crowd,  and  heard  some  one  talking,  and  he  wondered  to 
himself  what  that  man  was  talking  about.  He  didn’t 
know  who  was  there,  so  he  drew  up  to  the  crowd,  and 
listened.  He  heard  the  sermon,  and  became  convicted 
and  converted  right  there.  Then  he  inquired  who  was 
the  preacher,  and  he  found  out  it  was  the  very  man  that 
he  said  he  would  not  hear — the  man  he  disliked.  The 
very  man  he  had  been  talking  against  was  the  very  man 
God  used  to  convert  him. 

Crazy  from  Sin 

I  was  once  preaching  in  Chicago,  and  a  woman  who 
was  nearly  out  of  her  mind  came  to  me.  You  know 
there  are  some  people  who  mock  at  religious  meetings, 
and  say  that  religion  drives  people  mad.  It  is  sin  that 


90 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


drives  people  mad.  It  is  the  want  of  Christ  that  sinks 
people  into  despair. 

This  was  the  woman’s  story: 

She  had  a  family  of  children.  One  of  her  neighbors 
had  died,  and  her  husband  had  brought  home  a  little 
child.  She  said,  “I  don’t  want  the  child,”  but  her  hus¬ 
band  said,  “You  must  take  it  and  look  after  it.”  She 
said  she  had  enough  to  do  with  her  own,  and  she  told 
her  husband  to  take  that  child  away.  But  he  would  not. 
She  confessed  that  she  tried  to  starve  the  child;  but  it 
lingered  on.  One  night  it  cried  all  night;  I  suppose  it 
wanted  food.  At  last  she  took  the  clothes  and  threw 
them  over  the  child  and  smothered  it.  No  one  saw  her; 
no  one  knew  anything  about  it.  The  child  was  buried. 
Years  had  passed  away,  and  she  said: 

“I  hear  the  voice  of  that  child  day  and  night.  It  has 
driven  me  nearly  mad.” 

No  one  sav/  the  act;  but  God  saw  it,  and  this  retribu¬ 
tion  followed  it.  History  is  full  of  these  things.  You 
need  not  go  to  the  Bible  to  find  it  out. 

Don’t  Swearl 

I  was  greatly  amazed  not  long  ago,  in  talking  to  a 
man  who  thought  he  was  a  Christian,  to  find  that  once 
in  a  while,  when  he  got  angry,  he  would  swear.  I  said: 
‘‘My  friend,  I  don’t  see  how  you  can  tear  down  with 
one  band  what  you  are  trying  to  build  up  with  the  other. 
I  don’t  see  how  you  can  profess  to  be  a  child  of  God  and 
let  those  words  come  out  of  your  lips.” 

He  replied:  ‘‘Mr.  Moody,  if  you  knew  me,  you  would 
understand.  I  have  a  very  quick  temper.  I  inherited 
it  from  my  father  and  mother,  and  it  is  uncontrollable; 
but  my  swearing  comes  only  from  the  lips.” 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


9' 


When  God  said,  “I  will  not  hold  him  guiltless  that 
takes  My  name  in  vain,”  He  meant  what  He  said,  and 
I  don't  believe  any  one  can  be  a  true  child  of  God  who 
takes  the  name  of  God  in  vain. 

The  True  Sheep  Knows 

I  tell  you  the  true  sheep  know  a  true  shepherd.  I 
got  up  in  Scotland  once  and  quoted  a  passage  of  Scrip¬ 
ture  a  little  different  from  what  it  was  in  the  Bible,  and 
an  old  woman  crept  up  and  said: 

“Mr.  Moody,  you  said-— — . ” 

I  might  make  forty  misquotations  in  an  ordinary 
audience,  and  no  one  would  tell  me  about  them.  Like 
two  lawyers:  one  said  in  court  that  the  other  didn’t  know 
the  Lord’s  Prayer.  The  other  said  he  did: 

“Now  I  lay  me  down  to  sleep.” 

“Well,”  the  first  said,  “I  give  it  up.  I  did  not  think 
you  knew  it.” 

Didn’t  either  one  of  them  know  it,  you  see. 

The  Father  Knew  Best 

Dr.  Arnot,  one  of  the  greatest  Scotch  divines,  was  in 
this  country  before  he  died.  His  mother  died  when  he 
was  a  little  boy  only  three  weeks  old,  and  there  was  a 
large  family  of  Arnots.  I  suppose  they  missed  the  ten¬ 
derness  and  love  of  the  mother.  They  got  the  impres¬ 
sion  that  their  father  was  very  stern  and  rigid,  and  that 
he  had  a  great  many  laws  and  rules. 

One  rule  was,  that  the  children  should  never  climb 
trees.  When  the  neighbors  found  out  that  the  Arnot 
children  could  not  climb  trees,  they  began  to  tell  them 
about  the  wonderful  things  they  could  see  from  the  tops 
of  the  trees.  Well,  tell  a  boy  of  twelve  years'that  he 
mustn’t  climb  a  tree,  and  he  will  get  up  that  tree  some 


92 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


way.  And  so  the  Arnot  children  were  all  the  time  teas¬ 
ing  their  father  to  let  them  climb  the  tree;  but  the  old 
sire  said: 

“No.” 

One  day  he  was  busy  reading  his  paper,  and  the  boys 
said : 

“Father  is  reading  his  paper.-  Let’s  slip  down  into 
the  lot  and  climb  a  tree.” 

One  of  the  little  fellows  stood  on  the  top  of  the  fence 
to  see  that  father  did  not  catch  them.  When  his 
brother  got  up  on  the  first  branch,  he  said: 

“What  do  you  see?” 

“Why!'  I  don't  see  anything.” 

“Then  go  higher;  you  haven’t  got  high  enough. 

So  up  he  went  higher,  and  again  the  little  boy  asked: 

“Well,  what  do  you  see  now?” 

“I  don’t  see  anything.” 

“You  aren’t  high  enough;  go  higher.” 

And  the  little  fellow  went  up  as  high  as  he  could  go, 
but  he  slipped,  and  down  he  came,  and  broke  his  leg. 
Willie  said  he  tried  to  get  him  into  the  house,  but  he 
couldn’t  do  it.  He  had  to  tell  his  father  all  about  it. 
He  said  he  was  scared  nearly  out  of  his  wits.  He  thought 
his  father  would  be  very  angry.  But  hite  father  just 
threw  aside  the  paper,  and  started  for  the  lot.  When 
he  got  there,  he  picked  the  boy  up  in  his  arms,  and 
brought  him  up  to  the  house.  Then  he  sent  for  the  doc¬ 
tor.  And  Willie  said  he  got  a  new  view  of  that  father. 
He  found  out  the  reason  why  that  father  was  so  stern. 
He  said  the  moment  that  boy  got  hurt,  no  mother  could 
have  been  more  loving  and  gentle. 

My  dear  friends,  there  is  not  one  commandment  that 
has  been  given  us  which  has  not  been  for  our  highest 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


93 


and  best  interest.  There  isn’t  a  commandment  that 
hasn’t  come  from  the  loving  heart  of  God,  and  what  He 
wants  is  to  have  us  give  up  that  which  is  going  to  mar 
our  happiness  in  this  life,  and  in  the  life  to  come. 

“Help  Yourself!” 

When  1  was  out  on  the  Pacific  coast,  in  California, 
some  years  ago,  I  was  the  guest  of  a  man  that  had  a 
large  vineyard  and  a  large  orchard.  One  day  he  said  to 
me ; 

“Moody,  while  you  are  my  guest  I  want  you  to  make 
yourself  perfectly  at  home,  and  if  there  is  anything  in 
the  orchard  or  in  the  vineyard  you  would  like,  help 
yourself.  “ 

Well,  when  I  wanted  an  orange,  I  did  not  go  to  an 
orange  tree  and  pray  the  oranges  to  fall  into  my  pocket; 
but  I  walked  up  to  a  tree,  reached  out  my  hand,  and 
took  the  oranges.  He  said  “Take,”  and  I  took. 

God  says,  “There  is  my  Son;  take  Him  as  your 
Saviour.  The  wages  of  sin  is  death;  but  the  gift  of  God 
is  eternal  life.  ” 

The  Rich  Husband 

* 

There  was  a  shop-girl  in  Chicago,  a  few  years  ago. 
One  day  she  could  not  have  bought  five  dollars’  worth  of 
anything;  the  next  day  she  could  go  and  buy  a  thousand 
dollar’s  worth  of  whatever  she  wanted. 

What  made  the  difference? 

Why,  she  had  married  a  rich  husband;  that  was  all. 
She  had  received  him,  and  of  course  all  he  had  became 
hers.  And  so  we  can  have  all,  if  we  only  receive  Christ, 

Settle  It  Now ! 

Some  years  ago,  in  one  of  the  mining  districts  of 
,  England,  a  young  man  attended  one  of  our  meetings  and 


94 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


refused  to  go  from  the  place  till  he  had  found  peace  in 
the  Savior.  The  next  day  he  went  down  into  the  pit, 
and  the  coal  fell  in  upon  him.  When  they  took  him  out, 
he  w'as  broken  and  mangled,  and  had  only  two  or  three 
minutes  of  life  left  in  him.  His  friends  gathered  about 
him,  saw  his  lips  moving,  and,  bending  down  to  catch 
his  words,  heard  him  say: 

“It  was  a  good  thing  I  settled  it  last  night.’' 

Settle  it  now,  my  friends,  once  for  all.  Begin  now  to 
confess  your  sins,  and  pray  the  Lord  to  remember  you. 
He  will  make  you  an  heir  of  His  kingdom,  if  you  will 
accept  the  gift  of  salvation. 

The  True  Source  of  Joy 

God  doesn’t  ask  us  to  rejoice  over  nothing;  He  gives 
us  ground  for  our  joy.  What  would  you  think  of  a  man 
who  seemed  very  happy  to-day  and  full  of  joy,  and 
couldn’t  tell  you  what  made  him  so?  Suppose  I  should 
meet  a  man  on  the  street,  and  he  was  so  full  of  joy  that 
he  should  get  hold  of  both  my  hands  and  say: 

“Bless  the  Lord,  I  am  so  full  of  joy!’’ 

“What  makes  you  so  full  of  joy?” 

“Well,  I  don’t  know.” 

“You  don’t  know!’’ 

“No,  I  don’t;  but  I  am  so  joyful  that  I  just  want  to 
get  out  of  the  flesh.’’ 

“What  makes  you  feel  so  joyful?’’ 

“Well,  I  don’t  know.’’ 

Would  we  not  think  such  a  person  unreasonable?  But 
there  are  a  great  many  people  who  want  to  feel  that 
they  are  Christians  before  they  are  Christians;  they  want 
the  Christian’s  experience  before  they  become  Chris¬ 
tians;  they  want  to  have  the  joy  of  the  Lord  before 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


95 


they  receive  Jesus  Christ.  But  this  is  not  the  Gospel 
order.  He  brings  joy  when  He  comes,  and  we  cannot 
have  joy  apart  from  Him.  He  is  the  author  of  it,  and 
we  find  our  joy  in  Him. 

The  Meanest  Kind  of  Murderers 

When  I  was  in  England  in  1892,  I  met  a  gentleman 
who  claimed  that  they  were  ahead  of  us  in  the  respect 
they  had  for  the  law.  “We  hang  our  murderers,”  he 
said,  “but  there  isn’t  one  out  of  twenty  in  your  country 
that  is  hung.  ” 

I  said,  “You  are  greatly  mistaken,  for  they  walk 
about  these  two  countries  unhung.” 

“What  do  you  mean?” 

“I  will  tell  you  what  I  mean,”  I  said;  “the  man  that 
comes  into  my  house  and  runs  a  dagger  into  my  heart 
for  my  money  ^s  a  prince  compared  with  a  son  that  takes 
five  years  to  kill  me  and  the  wife  of  my  bosom.  A 
young  man  who  comes  home  night  after  night  drunk,  and 
when  his  mother  remonstrates,  curses  her  gray  hairs, 
and  kills  her  by  inches,  is  the  blackest  kind  of  a  mur- 
derer.  ” 

Where  your  Treasure  Is 

You  can  soon  tell  where  a  man’s  treasure  is  by  his 
talk.  If  it  is  in  heaven,  he  will  not  be  long  with  you 
before  he’s  talking  about  heaven;  his  heart  is  there,  and 
so  his  speech  isn’t  long  in  running  there,  too.  If  his 
heart  is  in  money,  he  will-  soon  have  you  deep  in  talk 
about  mines,  speculation,  stocks,  bank  rate,  and  so  on. 
If  his  heart  is  in  lands,  it  won’t  be  long  before  he’s 
talking  about  real  estate,  improvements,  houses,  and  so 
on.  Always  the  same,  wherever  a  man’s  heart  is,  there 
his  tongue  will  be  sure  to  go. 


96 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


Some  one  in  England  said,  if  you  see  a  man’s  goods 
and  furniture  come  down  by  the  luggage  train,  you’re 
pretty  sure  he’ll  be  down  by  the  next  passenger  train; 
he  won’t  be  long  after;  he’ll  follow  his  goods.  And  so 
it  is  with  heaven;  if  your  treasure  is  on  before  you, 
you’ll  be  wanting  to  follow  it;  you’ll  be  glad  to  be  on 
the  road  thither  as  soon  as  possible. 

■M 

Why  his  Life  was  Spared 

Two  Americans  who  were  crossing  the  Atlantic  met 
'on  Sunday  night  to  sing  hymns  in  the  cabin.  As  they 
sang  the  hymn,  “Jesus,  Lover  of  my  Soul,’’  one  of  them 
heard  an  exceedingly  rich  and  beautiful  voice  behind 
him.  He  looked  around,  and  although  he  did  not  know 
the  face  he  thought  that  he  recognized  the  voice.  So 
when  the  music  ceased  he  turned  around  and  asked  the 
man  if  he  had  not  been  in  the  Civil  War.  The  man 
replied  that  he  had  been  a  Confederate  soldier. 

“Were  you  at  such  a  place  on  such  a  night?’’  asked 
the  first. 

“Yes,’’  he  said,  “and  a  curious  thing  happened  that 
night;  this  hymn  recalled  it  to  my  mind.  I  was  on 
sentry  duty  on  the  edge  of  a  wood.  It  was  a  dark  night 
and  very  cold,  and  I  was  a  little  frightened  because  the 
enemy  were  supposed  to  be  very  near  at  hand.  I  felt 
very  homesick  and  miserable,  and  about  midnight,  when 
everything  was  very  still,  I  was  beginning  to  feel  very 
weary  and  thought  that  I  would  comfort  myself  by  pray¬ 
ing  and  singing  a  hymn.  I  remember  singing  this 
hymn — 

‘All  my  trust  on  Thee  is  stayed, 

All  my  help  from  Thee  I  bring. 

Cover  my  defenceless  head 
With  the  shadow  of  Thy  wing.’ 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


97 


“After  I  had  sung  those  words  a  strange  peace  came 
down  upon  me,  and  through  the  long  night  I  remember 
having  felt  no  more  fear.” 

“Now,”  said  the  other  man,  “listen  to  my  story.  I 
was  a  Union  soldier,  and  was  in  the  wood  that  night  with 
a  party  of  scouts.  I  saw  you  standing  up,  although  I 
didn’t  see  your  face,  and  my  men  had  their  rifles 
focused  upon  you  waiting  the  word  to  fire,  but  when 
you  sang  out — 

‘Cover  my  defenceless  head 

With  the  shadow  of  Thy  wing.’ 

I  said,  ‘Boys,  put  down  your  rifles;  we  will  go  home.*  I 
couldn’t  kill  you  after  that.’ 

The  Sinner’s  Heart 

When  I  was  in  Dublin  some  years  ago  I  got  up  to  go 
to  an  early  meeting,  and  found  the  servants  had  not 
opened  the  front  door;  so  I  pulled  back  a  bolt,  but  I 
could  not  get  the  door  open.  Then  I  turned  a  key,  but 
the  door  would  not  open.  Then  I  found  there  was 
another  bolt  at  the  top  and  another  bolt  at  the  bottom. 
Still  the  door  would  not  open.  Then  I  found  there  was 
a  bar,  and  then  I  found  a  night-lock.  In  all  I  found 
five  or  six  different  fastenings. 

I  am  afraid  that  door  represents  every  sinner’s  heart. 
The  door  of  his  heart  is  double-locked,  double-bolted, 
and  double-barred.  Oh,  my  friends,  pull  back  the  bolts, 
and  let  the  King  of  glory  in ! 

Nothing  Small 

There  are  a  great  many  different  ways  of  doing  good. 
A  lady  once  visited  a  hospital,  and  noticed  with  what 
pleasure  the  patients  would  smell  and  look  at  the  flowers 
sent  to  them.  Said  she: 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


9S 


“If  I  had  known  that  a  bunch  of  flowers  would  do  so 
much  good,  I  would  have  sent  some  from  home.” 

As  soon  as  she  got  home,  she  sent  some  flowers  out  of 
h^er  garden.  It  was  a  little  thing— a  bouquet  of  flowers. 
It  might  be  a  very  insignificant  work — very  small;  but  if 
it  was  done  in  the  right  spirit,  God  accepted  it.  A  cup 
of  water  given  in  His  name  is  accepted  as  given  to  Him¬ 
self.  Nothing  that  is  done  for  God  is  small. 

An  Anecdote  about  Tennyson 

It  is  said  that  Tennyson  once  asked  an  old  Christian 
woman  if  there  was  any  news. 

“Why,  Mr.  Tennyson,”  she  replied,  “there’s  only 
one  piece  of  news  that  I  know,  and  that  is — Christ  died 
for  all  men.  ” 

“That  is  old  news,  and  good  news,  and  new  news,” 
Tennyson  responded. 

On  Satan’s  Ground 

There  is  a  legend  that  the  Apostle  John  was  much 
distressed  over  the  fall  of  a  young  convert.  He  sum¬ 
moned  Satan  before  him,  and  reproached  him  for  ruining 
so  good  a  youth. 

“I  found  your  good  youth  on  my  ground,”  said  Satan; 
“so  I  took  him.’.’ 

The  only  safe  course  is  to  avoid  temptation  altogether. 


'•i 

■ 


A. 


‘i 

■i 


■  i 

•  1 


Two  Bidding  for  the  Soul 

There  are  two  who  are  bidding  for  your  soul  and 
mine — the  Lord  Jesus  and  Satan. 

Satan  bids,  and  he  offers  that  which  he  cannot  give. 
He  is  a  liar,  and  has  been  from  the  foundation  of  the 
world.  I  pity  the  man  who  is  living  on  the  promises  of 
the  devil.  He  will  never  satisfy.  But  the  Lord  Jesus  is 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


99 


able  to  give  all  that  He 'offers.  And  what  does  He  offer? 
He  offers  peace  and  joy  and  comfort  that  the  world 
knows  not  of.  He  offers  eternal  life  in  the  kingdom  of 
God.  He  offers  a  seat  in  His  mansions.  We  are  to  sit 
with  Him  upon  His  throne. 

May  God  help  you  to  make  a  right  choice!  Make 
up  your  mind  you  will  not  rest  until  the  great  question 
of  eternity  is  settled,  until  you  have  crossed  the  border¬ 
land,  and  pressed  into  the  kingdom  of  God. 

Tried  and  Proven 

I  knew  an  old  lady  that  marked  in  the  margin  of  her 
Bible,  opposite  the  promises,  T.  P. ;  T.  for  “tried,”  and 
P.  for  “proven.”  Wh?^  we  want  is  to  try  the  Bible  and 
«ee  if  it  is  not  true. 

The  Prairie  Fire 

Out  in  the  Western  country,  in  the  autumn,  when  men 
go  hunting,  and  there  has  not  been  any  rain  for  months, 
sometimes  the  prairie  grass  catches  fire,  and  there  comes 
up  a  very  strong  wind,  and  the  flames  just  roll  along 
twenty  feet  high,  and  travel  at  the  rate  of  thirty  or 
forty  miles  an  hour,  consuming  man  and  beast.  When 
the  hunters  see  it  coming,  what  do  they  do?  They  know 
they  cannot  run  as  fast  as  the  fire  can  run.  Not  the 
fleetest  horse  can  escape.  They  just  take  a  match  and 
light  the  grass  around  them,  and  let  the  flames  sweep, 
and  then  they  get  into  the  burnt  district  and  stand  safe. 
They  hear  the  flames  roar  as  they  come  along,  they  see 
death  coming  toward  them,  but  they  do  not  fear,  they 
do  not  tremble,  because  the  fire  has  swept  over  the  place 
where  they  are,  and  there  is  no  danger  There  is  noth¬ 
ing  for  the  fire  to  burn. 

There  is  one  mountain  that  the  wrath  of  God  has 


TOO 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


swept  over — that  is,  Mount  Calvary;  and  the  fire  spvent 
its  fury  upon  the  bosom  of  the  Son  of  God.  Take  your 
stand  by  the  cross,  and  you  will  be  safe  for  time  and 
eternity. 

% 

Perfect  Order 

A  good  many  people  are  afraid  of  doing  anything  out 
of  the  regular  lines — of  doing  anything  out  of  order. 
Now,  you  will  find  perfect  order  in  a  cemetery.  You 
will  find  perfect  order  where  there  is  death.  Where 
there  is  life  you  will  find  something  out  of  order. 

Is  your  Soul  Insured? 

“Pa,”  said  a  little  boy  as  he  climbed  to  his  father’s 
knee,  and  looked  into  his  face  as  earnestly  as  if  he  under 
stood  the  importance  of  the  subject,  “pa,  is  your  soul 
insured?” 

“What  are  you  thinking  about,  my  son?”  replied  the 
agitated  father.  “Why  do  you  ask  that  question?” 

“Why,  pa,  I  heard  Uncle  George  say  that  you  had 
your  house  insured,  and  your  life  insured;  but  he  didn’t 
believe  you  had  thought  of  your  soul,  and  he  was  afraid 
you  would  lose  it;  won’t  you  get  it  insured  right  away?” 

The  father  leaned  his  head  on  his  hand,  and  was 
silent.  He  owned  broad  acres  of  land  that  were  covered 
with  a  bountiful  produce;  his  barns  were  even  now  filled 
with  plenty,  his  buildings  were  all  well  covered  by  insur¬ 
ance;  and  as  if  that  would  not  suffice  for  the  maintenance 
of  his  wife  and  oniy  child  in  case  of  his  decease,  he  had, 
the  day  before,  taken  a  life-policy  for  a  large  amount; 
yet  not  one  thought  had  he  given  to  his  own  immortal 
soul.  On  that  which  was  to  waste  awav  and  become 
part  and  parcel  of  its  native  dust  he  had  spared  no 
pains;  but  for  that  which  was  to  live  on  and  on  through 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


lOl 


the  long  ages  of  eternity  he  had  made  no  provision. 
“What  shall  it  profit  a  man  if  he  gain  the  whole  world 
and  lose  his  own  soul?” 

Memory 

I  have  been  twice  at  the  point  of  death.  I  was 
drowning 'once,  and  just  as  I  was  going  down  the  third 
time  I  was  rescued.  In  the  twinkling  of  an  eye  my 
whole  life  came  flashing  across  my  mind.  I  cannot  tell 
you  how  it  was.  I  cannot  tell  you  how  a  whole  life  can 
be  crowded  into  a  second  of  time;  but  everything  I  had 
done  from  my  earliest  childhood — it  all  came  flashing 
across  my  mind.  And  I  believe  that  when  God  touches 
the  secret  spring  of  memory,  every  one  of  our  sins  will 
come  ba.k,  and  if  they  have  not  been  blotted  out  by  the 
blood  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  they  will  haunt  us  as 
eternal  ages  roll  on. 

We  talk  about  our  forgetting,  but  we  cannot  forget  if 
God  says  “Remember.”  We  talk  about  the  recording 
angel  keeping  the  record  of  our  life.  I  have  an  idea 
that  when  we  get  to  heaven,  or  into  eternity,  we  will  find 
that  recording  angel  has  been  ourselves.  God  will  make 
everyone  of  us  keep  our  own  record;  these  memories 
will  keep  the  record,  and  when  God  shall  say,  “Son, 
remember,”  it  will  all  flash  across  our  mind.  It  won’t 
be  God  who  will  condemn  us;  it  will  be  ourselves.  We 
shall  condemn  ourselves,  and  we  shall  stand  before  God 
speechless. 

There  is  a  man  in  prison.  He  has  been  there  five 
years.  Ask  that  man  what  makes  the  prison  so  terrible 
to  him.  Ask  him  if  it  is  the  walls  and  the  iron  gates— 
ask  him  if  it  . is  his  hard  work,  and  he  will  tell  you  no;  he 
will  tell  you  what  makes  the  prison  so  terrible  to  him  is 


102 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


memo?y;  and  I  have  an  idea  that  if  we  got  down  into  the 
lost  world,  we  would  find  that  is  what  makes  hell  so  ter¬ 
rible — the  remembrance  that  they  once  heard  the  Gospel, 
that  they  once  had  Christ  offered  to  them,  that  they 
once  had  the  privilege  of  being  saved,  but  they  made 
light  of  the  Gospel,  they  neglected  salvation,  they 
rejected  the  offer  of  mercy,  and  now  if  .  they  would 
accept  it  they  could  not. 

Balaam’s  Ass 

A  friend  of  mine  was  going  back  to  Scotland,  and  he 
heard  a  couple  of  these  little  modern  philosophers  dis- 
'  cussing  the  Bible.  One  said;  “The  Bible  says  that 
Balaam’s  ass  spoke.  Now,  I  am  a  scientific  man,  and  I 
have  taken  the  pains  to  examine  an  ass’s  mouth,  and  it 
is  so  formed  that  it  couldn’t  speak.’’ 

He  was  going  to  toss  the  whole  Bible  over  because 
Balaam’s  ass  couldn’t  speak. 

My  friend  said  he  stood  it  just  as  long  as  he  could, 
and  finally  he  said: 

“Ah,  man,  you  make  an  ass,  and  I  will  make  him 
speak.’’ 

The  idea  that  the  God  who  made  the  ass  couldn’t 
speak  through  his  mouth!  Did  you  ever  hear  such 
stuff?  And  yet  this  was  one  of  your  modern  philoso¬ 
phers 

The  Border  Apple-Tree 

If  you  want  real  peace  and  rest  to  your  soul,  keep  sep¬ 
arate  from  the  world. 

I  remember  when  I  was  a  boy  in  Northfield,  right 
near  the  old  red  schoolhouse  there  was  an  apple-tree 
that  bore  the  earliest  apples  of  any  tree  in  town.  They 
had  a  law  in  that  town  that  fruit  on  a  tree  overhanging 


MOODY’S  vSTORIES 


103 


the  street  belonged  to  the  public,  and  any  fruit  on  the 
other  side  of  the  fence  belonged  to  the  property-holders. 
Half  that  apple-tree  was  over  in  the  street,  and  it  got 
more  old  brooms  and  brickbats  and  handies  than  any 
other  tree  in  town.  We  boys  used  to  watch  to  see  when 
an  apple  was  getting  red.  I  never  got  a  ripe  apple  from 
that  tree  in  my  life,  and  I  don’t  believe  any  one  else  ever 
did.  You  never  went  by  that  tree  that  you  didn’t  see  a 
lot  of  broom-handles  and  clubs  up  there. 

Now,  take  a  lot  of  Christians  who  want  to  live  right 
on  the  line,  with  one  foot  in  the  world  and  one  foot  in 
the  church.  They  get  more  clubs  than  any  one  else. 
The  world  clubs  them.  They  say,  “I  don’t  believe  in 
that  man’s  religion.”  And  the  church  clubs  them. 
They  get  clubs  both  sides.  It  is  a  good  deal  better  to 
keep  just  as  far  from  the  line  as  you  can  if  you  want 
power. 

Bad  Company 

A  friend  of  mine  said  he  had  a  beautiful  canary  bird,- 
he  thought  it  was  the  sweetest  singer  they  had  ever  had. 
Spring  came  on,  and  he  felt  it  was  a  pity  to  keep  the 
poor  bird  in  the  house,  so  he  put  it  under  a  tree  right  in 
front  of  his  house.  He  said  before  he  knew  it  a  lot  of 
these  little  English  sparrows  got  under  that  tree  (and 
you  know  they  cannot  sing  any  more  than  I  can,  and  I 
don’t  know  one  note  from  another),  and  went,  ‘’Chirp, 
chirp,  chirp.”  Before  he  knew  it,  that  little  canary  had 
lost  all  its  sweet  notes.  It  had  got  into  bad  company. 

After  he  found  out  that  he  had  made  a  mistake,  he 
took  the  bird  into  the  house,  but  it  kept  up  that  “Chirp, 
chirp,  chirp.”  He  bought  another  bird,  but  the  canary 
nearly  ruined  it.  He  said  that  bird  never  got  back  its 
sweet  notes. 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


X04 


Now,  don’t  you  know  lots  of  Christian  people  who 
had  a  fine  testimony  several  years  ago,  but  they  have 
lost  their  witness,  and  all  they  do  now  is  talk,  talk,  talk, 
talk?  Why?  Because  they  are  out  of  communion  with 
God,  and  have  lost  their  witness. 

“Hitch  On”  and  “Cut  Behind” 

Some  one  tells  of  an  incident  that  happened  in  a 
New  England  town  the  other  day.  All  the  boys  were 
sleighing.  A  big  sleigh — we  call  it  a  “pung”  up  there— 
was  being  driven  through  the  streets  by  an  old  man 
who  looked  like  Santa  Claus.  He  was  calling  out  to 
the  small  boys  to  hitch  on,  for  a  pung  is  like  a  'bus,  it 
always  holds  one  more. 

There  were  already  about  twenty  rollicking  boys 
hitched  on,  when  one  little  fellow  dropped  off  behind. 
He  tried,  but  couldn’t  catch  up  again,  and  pretty  soon 
he  began  to  look  out  for  another  chance  for  a  ride.  A 
man’s  sleigh  was  standing  near  by,  and  the  boy  began 
to  eye  the  mam  When  the  man  in  the  sleigh  started  off, 
the  little  fellow  hitched  on  behind,  and  the  man  grabbed 
his  whip  and  struck  him  directly  in  the  eye.  It  looked  as 
if  the  eye  had  been  put  out,  but  it  wasn’t. 

Now,  that’s  the  way  we  go  through  this  world.  Some 
say,  “Hitch  on,  hitch  on’’;  others,  “Cut  behind,  cut 
behind.’*  The  hitch-on  people  fill  the  churches,  and  the 
cut-behind  ones  empty  them. 

Known  by  Name 

A  friend  of  mine  was  in  Syria,  and  he  found  a  shepherd 
that  kept  up  the  old  custom  of  naming  his  sheep.  My 
friend  said  he  wouldn’t  believe  that  the  sheep  knew  him 
when  he  called  them  by  name.  So  he  said  to  the  shep¬ 
herd  : 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


105 


“I  wish  you  would  just  call  one  or  two**^ 

The  shepherd  said,  “Carl.” 

The  sheep  stopped  eating  and  looked  up. 

The  shepherd  called  out,  “Come  here.” 

The  sheep  came,  and  stood  looking  up  into  his  face. 

He  called  another,  and  another,  and  there  they  stood 
looking  up  at  the  shepherd. 

“How  can  you  tell  them  apart?” 

“Oh,  there  are  no  two  alike.  See,  that  sheep  toes  in 
a  little;  this  sheep  is  a  little  bit  squint-eyed;  that  sheep 
has  a  black  spot  on  its  nose.” 

My  friend  found  that  he  knew  every  one  of  his  sheep 
by  their  failings.  He  didn’t  have  a  perfect  one  in  his 
flock. 

I  suppose  that  is  the  way  the  Lord  knows  you  and  me. 
There  is  a  man  that  is  covetous;  he  wants  to  grasp 
the  whole  world.  He  wants  a  shepherd  to  keep  down 
that  spirit.  There  is  a  woman  down  there  who  has  an 
awful  tongue;  she  keeps  the  whole  neighborhood  stirred 
up.  There  is  a  woman  over  there  who  is  deceitful,  ter¬ 
ribly  so.  She  needs  the  care  of  a  shepherd  to  keep  her 
from  deceit,  for  she  will  ruin  all  her  children;  they  will 
all  turn  out  just  like  their  mother.  There  is  a  father 
over  there  who  wouldn’t  swear  for  all  the  world  before 
his  children,  but  sometimes  he  gets  provoked  in  his  busi¬ 
ness  and  swears  before  he  knows  it.  Doesn’t  he  need  a 
shepherd’s  care?  I  would  like  to  know  if  there  is  a  man 
or  woman  on  earth  who  doesn’t  need  the  care  of  a  shep¬ 
herd.  Haven’t  we  all  got  failings?  If  you  really  want 
to  know  what  your  failings  are,  you  can  find  some  one 
•  who  can  point  them  out.  God  would  never  have  sent 
Christ  into  the  world  if  we  didn’t  need  His  care.  We 
are  as  weak  and  foolish  as  sheep. 


io6 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


The  Right  Time  for  Action 

A  man  was  always  telling  his  servant  that  he  was 
going  to  do  a  great  thing  for  him.  “I  am  going  to 
remember  you  in  my  will.” 

Sambo  got  his  expectations  up  very  high.  When  the 
man  came  to  die,  it  was  found  that  all  he  had  willed 
Sambo  was  to  be  buried  in  the  family  lot.  That  was 
the  big  thing,  you  know.  Sambo  said  he  wished  he  had 
given  him  ten  dollars,  and  let  the  lot  go. 

If  you  want  to  show  kindness  to  a  person,  show  it  to 
him  while  you  are  living.  I  heard  a  man  say  that  he 
didn’t  want  people  to  throw  bouquets  to  him  after  he 
was  dead,  and  say,  “There,  smell  them.” 

Now,  this  is  the  time  for  action.  I  have  got  so  tired 
and  sick  of  this  splitting  hairs  over  theology.  Man,  let 
us  go  out  and  get  the  fallen  up.  Lift  them  up  toward 
God  and  heaven.  We  want  a  practical  kind  of  Chris¬ 
tianity. 

Criticising  the  Sermon 

Very  often  a  man  will  hear  a  hundred  good  things  in 
a  sermon,  but  there  may  be  one  thing  that  strikes  him 
as  a  little  out  of  place,  and  he  will  go  home  and  sit 
down  at  the  table  and  talk  right  out  before  his  children 
and  magnify  that  one  wrong  thing,  and  not  say  a  word 
about  the  hundred  good  things  that  were  said.  That  is 
what  people  do  who  criticise. 

A  Reminiscence 

I  remember  blaming  my  mother  for  sending  me  to 
church  on  the  Sabbath.  On  one  occasion  the  preacher 
had  to  send  some  one  into  the  gallery  to  wake  me  up. 

I  thought  it  was  hard  to  have  to  work  in  the  field  all  the 
week,  and  then  be  obliged  to  go  to  church  and  hear  a 


MOODY'S  STORIES 


107 


sermon  I  didn’t  understand.  I  thought  I  wouldn’t  go  to 
church  any  more  when  I  got  away  from  home;  but  I  had 
got  so  in  the  habit  of  going  that  I  couldn’t  stay  away. 
After  one  or  two  Sabbaths,  back  again  to  the  house  of 
God  I  went.  There  I  first  found  Christ,  and  I  have 
often  said  since; 

“Mother,  I  thank  you  for  making  me  go  to  the  house 
of  God  when  I  didn’t  want  to  go.’’ 

Transplanting  the  Lily 

“It  is  easy  to  go  when  the  time  comes.  There  are  no 
ropes  thrown  out  to  pull  us  ashore;  there  are  no  ladders 
let  down  to  pull  us  up.  Christ  comes  and  takes  us  by 
the  hand,  and  says: 

“  ‘You  have  had  enough  of  this.  Come  up  higher!’ 

“Do  you  hurt  a  lily  when  you  pluck  it?  Is  there  any 
rudeness  when  Jesus  touches  the  cheek,  and  the  red 
rose  of  health  whitens  into  the  lily  of  immortal  purity 
and  gladness?” — Talmage. 

Election 

How  many  men  fold  their  arms  and  say: 

“If  I  am  one  of  the  elect,  I  will  be  saved,  and  if  1 
ain’t,  I  won’t.  No  use  of  your  bothering  about  it.’  ’ 

Why  don’t  some  of  these  merchants  say:  “If  God  is 
going  to  make  me  a  successful  merchant  in  Chicago,  I 
will  be  one  whether  I  like  it  or  not,  and  if  He  isn’t 
I  won’t.” 

If  you  are  sick,  and  a  doctor  prescribes  for  you,  don’t 
take  the  medicine — throw  it  out  the  door.  It  does  not 
matter,  for  if  God  has  decreed  you  are  going  to  die,  you 
will;  if  He  hasn’t,  you  will  get  better.  If  you  use  that 
argument  you  may  as  well  not  walk  home  from  this 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


io8. 


tabernacle.  If  God  has  said  you’ll  get  home,  you’ll  get 
home — you’ll  fly  through  the  air. 

I  have  an  idea  that  the  Lord  Jesus  saw  how  men  were 
going  to  stumble  over  this  doctrine,  so  after  He  had 
been  thirty  or  forty  years  in  heaven  He  came  down  and 
spoke  to  John.  One  Lord’s  day  in  Patmos,  He  said  to 
him : 

“Write  these  things  to  the  churches.” 

John  kept  on  writing.  His  pen  flew  very  fast.  And 
then  the  Lord,  when  it  was  nearly  finished,  said,  “John, 
before  you  close  the  book,  put  in  one  more  invitation. 
‘The  Spirit  and  the  bride  say.  Come,  And  let  him  that 
heareth  say,  Come.  And  let  him  that  is  athirst,  come. 
And  WHOSOEVER  WILL,  let  him  take  the  water  of  life 
freely.’  ” 

The  Mysteries  of  the  Bible 

Dr.  Talmage  tells  the  story  that  one  day  while  he  was 
bothering  his  theological  professor  with  questions  about 
the  mysteries  of  the  Bible,  the  latter  turned  on  him 
and  said: 

“Mr.  Talmage,  you  will  have  to  let  God  know  some 
things  you  don’t.  ” 

The  Little  Lone  One 

I  sometimes  think  if  an  angel  were  to  wing  its  way  to 
heaven,  and  tell  them  that  there  was  one  little  child  here 
on  earth — it  might  be  a  shoeless,  coatless  street  Arab — 
with  no  one  to  lead  it  to  the  cross  of  Christ,  and  if  God 
were  to  call  the  angels  round  His  throne  and  ask  them 
to  go  and  spend — aye,  fifty  years,  in  teaching  that  child, 
there  would  not  be  an  angel  in  heaven  but  would  respond 
gladly  to  the  appeal.  We  should  see  even  Gabriel  say¬ 
ing,  “Let  me  go  and  win  that  soul  to  Christ.”  We 
should  see  Paul  buckling  on  his  old  armor  again,  and 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


109 


saying,  '‘Let  me  go  back  again  to  earth,  that  I  may  have 
the  joy  of  leading  that  little  one  to  his  Saviour.” 

Ah!  we  need  rousing;  there  is  too  much  apathy 
amongst  professing  Christians.  Let  us  pray  God  that 
He  may  send  His  Holy  Spirit  to  inspire  us  with  fresh 
energy  and  zeal  to  do  His  work. 

Doubting  Castle 

It  is  the  privilege  of  every  child  of  God  to  know  that 
he  is  saved,  and  yet  I  find  ever  so  many  people  living  in 
Doubting  Castle.  Why,  it  is  salvation  by  doubts  nowa¬ 
days,  instead  of  by  faith;  there  are  so  few  that  dare  to 
say,  “I  know  that  my  Redeemer  liveth;  I  know  in  whom 
I  have  believed.”  We  find  most  Christians  nowadays 
shivering  and  trembling  from  head  to  foot — they  do  not 
know  whether  they  are  saved  or  not. 

Faith 

Bishop  Ryle  has  very  well  likened  faith  to  a  root 
whose  flower  is  assurance.  To  have  the  latter,  he  says, 
it  is  necessary  that  there  must  first  be  the  hidden  source 
of  faith. 

Faith  is  the  simplest  and  most  universal  experience  in 
the  world.  Call  it  by  whatever  name  you  may,  confi-, 
dence,  trust,  or  belief,  it  is  inseparable  from  the  human 
race.  The  first  sign  of  a  dawning  intelligence  in  the 
mind  is  the  exercise  of  the  infant’s  faith  toward  those  it 
knows,  and  its  fear  toward  those  it  does  not  know.  We 
cannot  even  remember  when  we  first  began  to  have  faith. 

Confessing  Christ  at  Home 

I  was  preaching  in  Chicago  to  a  hall  full  of  women 
one  Sunday  afternoon,  and  after  the  meeting  was  over  a 
lady  came  to  me  and  said  she  wanted  to  talk  to  me.  She 
said  she  would  accept  Christ,  and  after  some  conversa- 


1  lO 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


tion  she  went  home.  I  looked  for  her  for  a  whole  week, 
but  didn’t  see  her  until  the  following  Sunday  afternoon. 
She  came  and  sat  down  right  in  front  of  me,  and  her 
face  had  such  a  sad  expression.  She  seemed  to  have 
entered  into  the  misery,  instead  of  the  joy,  of  the  Lord. 

After  the  meeting  was  over  I  went  to  her  and  asked 
her  what  the  trouble  was. 

She  said,  “Oh,  Mr.  Moody,  this  has  been  the  most 
miserable  week  of  my  life.” 

I  asked  her  if  there  was  any  one  with  whom  she  had 
had  trouble  and  whom  she  could  not  forgive. 

She  said,  “No,  not  that  I  know  of.’* 

“Well,  did  you  tell  your  friends  about  having  found 
the  Saviour?’’ 

“Indeed  I  didn’t.  I  have  been  all  the  week  trying  to 
keep  it  from  them.’’ 

“Well,’’  I  said,  “that  is  the  reason  why  you  have  no 
peace.’’ 

She  wanted  to  take  the  crown,  but  did  not  want  the 
cross.  My  friends,  you  must  go  by  the  way  of  Calvary. 
If  you  ever  get  peace  and  joy  you  must  get  it  at  the  foot 
of  the  cross. 

“Why,’’  she  said,  “if  I  should  go  home  and  tell  my 
infidel  husband  that  I  had  found  Christ,  I  don’t  know 
what  he  would  do.  I  think  he  would  turn  me  out.’’ 

“Well,’’  I  said,  “go  out.” 

She  went  away,  promising  that  she  would  tell  him, 
timid  and  pale,  but  she  did  not  want  another  wretched 
week.  She  was  bound  to  have  peace. 

The  next  night  I  gave  a  lecture  to  men  only,  and  in 
the  hall  there  were  eight  thousand  men  and  one  solitary 
woman.  When  I  got  through  and  w^ent  into  the  inquiry 
meeting  I  found  this  lady  with  her  husband.  She  intro- 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


1 1 1 


duced  him  to  me  (he  was  a  doctor  and  a  very  influential 
man),  and  said: 

“He  wants  to  become  a  Christian.  “ 

I  took  my  Bible  and  told  him  all  about  Christ, 
and  he  accepted  Him.  I  said  to  her  after  it  was  all 
over: 

“It  turned  out  quite  differently  from  what  you 
expected,  didn’t  it?” 

“Yes,”  she  replied;  “I  was  never  so  scared  in  my 
life.  I  expected  he  would  do  something  dreadful,  but  it 
has  turned  out  so  well.” 

She  took  God’s  way,  and  got  the  joy  and  peace  she 
sought. 

How  to  Settle,  the  Theater  Question 

A  lady  came  to  me  once  and  said,  “Mr.  Moody,  I 
wish  you  would  tell  me  how  I  can  become  a  Christian.” 
The  tears  were  rolling  down  her  cheeks,  and  she  was  in 
a  very  favorable  mood.  “But,”  she  said,  “I  don’t  want  to 
be  one  of  your  kind.” 

“Well,”  I  asked,  “have  I  got  any  peculiar  kind? 
What  is  the  matter  with  my  Christianity?” 

“Well,”  she  said,  “my  father  was  a  doctor,  and  had 
a  large  practice,  and  he  used  to  get  so  tired  that  he  used 
to  take  us  to  the  theater.  There  was  a  large  family  of 
girls,  and  we  had  tickets  for  the  theaters  three  or  four 
times  a  week.  I  suppose  we  were  there  a  good  deal 
oftener  than  we  were  in  church.  I  am  married  to  a 
lawyer,  and  he  has  a  large  practice.  He  gets  so  tired 
that  he  takes  us  out  to  the  theater,”  and  she  said,  “I 
am  far  better  acquainted  with  the  theater  and  theater 
people  than  with  the  church  and  church  people,  and  I 
don’t  want  to  give  up  the  theater.” 

“Well,”  I  said,  “did  you  ever  hear  me  say  anything 


I  12 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


about  theaters?  There  have  been  reporters  here  every 
day  for  all  the  different  papers,  and  they  are  giving  my 
semons  verbatim  in  one  paper.  Have  you  ever  seen 
anything  in  the  sermons  against  the  theaters?” 

She  said,  “No.” 

“Well,”  I  said,  “I  have  seen  you  in  the  audience 
every  afternoon  for  several  weeks,  and  have  you  heard 
me  say  anything  against  theaters?” 

No.,  she  hadn’t. 

“Well,”  I  said,  “what  made  you  bring  them  up?” 

“Why,  I  supposed  you  didn’t  believe  in  theaters^” 

“What  made  you  think  that?” 

“Why,”  she  said,  “do  you  ever  go?” 

“No.” 

“Why  don’t  you  go?” 

“Because  I  have  got  something  better.  I  would 
sooner  go  out  into  the  street  and  eat  dirt  than  do  some 
of  the  things  I  used  to  do  before  I  became  a  Christian.” 

“Why!”’  she  said;  “I  don’t  understand.” 

“Never  mind,”  I  said.  ‘’When  Jesus  Christ  has  the 
preeminence,  you  will  understand  it  all.  He  didn’t  come 
down  here  and  say  we  shouldn’t  go  here  and  we  shouldn’t 
go  there,  and  lay  down  a  lot  of  rules,  but  He  laid  down 
great  principles.  Now,  He  says  if  you  love  Him  you 
will  take  delight  in  pleasing  Him,“  And  I  began  to 
preach  Christ  to  her.  The  tears  sta'-ted  again.  She 
said : 

“I  tell  you,  Mr.  Moody,  that  sermon  on  the  indwelling 
Christ  yesterday  afternoon  just  broke  my  i^eart.  I  ad¬ 
mire  Him,  and  I  want  to  be  a  Christian,  but  I  don’t 
want  to  give  up  the  theaters.” 

I  said,  “Please  don’t  mention  them  again.  X  don’t 
want  to  talk  about  theaters.  I  want  to  tal^  tp  you 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


*13 

about  Christ.”  So  I  took  my  Bible,  and  I  read  to  her 
about  Christ. 

But  she  said  again,  “Mr.  Moody,  can  I  go  to  the  the¬ 
ater  if  I  become  a  Christian?” 

“Yes,”  I  said,  ‘‘you  can  go  to  the  theater  just  as 
much  as  you  like  if  you  are  a  real,  true  Christian,  and 
can  go  with  His  blessing.” 

“Well,”  she  said,  “I  am  glad  you  are  not  so  narrow¬ 
minded  as  some.” 

She  felt  quite  relieved  to  think  that  she  could  go  to 
the  theaters  and  be  a  Christian.  But  I  said: 

‘‘If  you  can  go  to  the  theater  for  the  g-lory  of  God, 
keep  on  going;  only  be  sure  that  you  go  for  the  glory  of 
God.  If  you  are  a  Christian  you  will  be  glad  to  do 
whatever  will  please  Him.” 

I  really  think  she  became  a  Christian  that  day.  The 
burden  had  gone,  there  was  joy;  but  just  as  she  was 
leaving  me  at  the  door  she  said: 

‘‘I  am  not  going  to  give  up  the  theater.” 

In  a  few  days  she  came  back  to  me  and  said:  ‘‘Mr. 
Moody,  I  understand  all  about  that  theater  business 
now.  I  went  the  other  night.  There  was  a  large  party 
at  our  house,  and  my  husband  wanted  us  to  go,  and  we 
went;  but  when  the  curtain  lifted  everything  looked  so 
different.  I  said  to  my  husband,  ‘This  is  no  place  for 
me;  tnis  is  horrible.  I  am  not  going  to  stay  here,  I  am 
going  home.’  He  said,  ‘Don’t  make  a  fool  of  yourself. 
Every  one  has  heard  that  you  have  been  converted  in 
the  Moody  meetings,  and  if  you  go  out  it  will  be  all 
through  fashionable  society.  I  beg  of  you  don’t  make 
a  fool  of  yourself  by  getting  up  and  going  out.’  But  I 
said,  ‘I  have  been  making  a  fool  of  myself  all  of  my  life. 

Now,  the  theater  hadn’t  changed,  but  she  had  got 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


^24 


something  better,  and  she  was  going  to  overcome  the 
world.  '^‘They  that  are  after  the  flesh  do  mind  the 
things  of  the  flesh;  but  they  that  are  after  the  Spirit, 
the  things  of  the  Spirit.”  When  Christ  has  the  first 
place  in  your  heart  you  are  going  to  get  victory.  Just 
do  whatever  you  know  will  please  Him.  The  great 
objection  I  have  to  these  things  is  that  they  get  the 
mastery,  and  become  a  hindrance  to  spiritual  growth. 

What  a  Sister  Can  Do 

I  want  to  say  to  young  ladies,  perhaps  you  have  a 
godless  father  or  mother,  or  a  skeptical  brother,  who  is 
going  down  through  drink,  and  perhaps  there  is  no  one 
who  can  reach  them  but  you.  How  many  times  a  godly, 
pure  young  lady  has  taken  the  light  into  some  darkened 
home!  Many  a  home  might  be  lit  up  with  the  Gospel  if 
the  mothers  and  daughters  would  only  speak  the  word. 

The  last  time  Mr.  Sankey  and  myself  were  in  Edin¬ 
burgh,  there  were  a  father,  two  sisters,  and  a  brother, 
who  used  every  morning  to  take  the  morning  paper  and 
pick'  my  sermon  to  pieces.  They  were  indignant  to 
think  that  the  Edinburgh  people  should  be  carried  away 
with  such  preaching.  One  day  one  of  the  sisters  was 
going  by  the  hall,  and  she  thought  she  would  drop  in  and 
see  what  class  of  people  went  there.  She  happened  to 
take  a  seat  by  a  godly  lady,  w’ho  said  to  her: 

“I  hope  you  are  interested  in  this  work.” 

She  tossed  her  head  and  said:  “Indeed  I  am  not. 
I  am  disgusted  with  everything  I  have  seen  and  heard.” 

“Well,”  said  the  lady,  “perhaps  you  came  preju¬ 
diced.” 

“Yes,  and  the  meeting  has  not  removed  any  of  it,  but 
has  rather  increased  it.” 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


I  ha.v6  received  a  great  deal  of  good  from  them.” 

“There  is  nothing  here  for  me.  I  don’t  see  how  an 
intellectual  person  can  be  interested.” 

To  make  a  long  story  short,  she  got  the  young  lady 
to  promise  to  come  back.  When  the  meeting  broke  up, 
just  a  little  of  the  prejudice  had  worn  away.  She  prom¬ 
ised  to  come  back  again  the  next  day,  and  then  she 
attended  three  or  four  more  meetings,  and  became  quite 
interested.  She  said  nothing  to  her  family,  until  finally 
the  burden  became  too  heavy,  and  she  told  them.  They 
laughed  at  her,  and  made  her  the  butt  of  their  ridicule. 

One  day  the  two  sisters  were  together,  and  the  other 
said,  “Now  what  have  you  got  at  those  meetings  that 
you  didn’t  have  in  the  first  place?” 

“I  have  a  peace  that  I  never  knew  of  before.  I  am 
at  peace  with  God,  myself,  and  all  the  world.”  Did  you 
ever  have  a  little  war  of  your  own  with  your  neighbors, 
in  your  own  family?  And  she  said :  “I  have  self-control. 
You  know,  sister,  if  you  had  said  half  the  mean  things 
before  I  was  converted  that  you  have  said  since,  I  would 
have  been  angry  and  answered  back,  but  if  you  remem¬ 
ber  correctly,  I  haven’t  answered  once  since  I  have  been 
converted.  ” 

The  sister  said,  “You  certainly  have  something  that 
I  have  not” 

The  other  told  her  it  was  for  her,  too,  and  she  brought 
the  sister  to  the  meetings,  where  she  found  peace. 

Like  Martha  and  Mary,  they  had  a  brother,  but  he 
was  a  member  of  the  University  of  Edinburgh.  He  be 
converted?  He  go  to  these  meetings?  It  might  do  for 
women,  but  not  for  him!  One  night  they  came  nome 
and  told  him  that  a  chum  of  his  own,  a  member  of  the 
university,  had  stood  up  and  confesned  Christ,  and  when 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


1 16 


he  sat  down  his  brother  got  up  and  confessed  j  and  yo 
with  the  third  one. 

When  the  young  man  heard  it,  he  said:  “Do  you 
mean  to  tell  me  that  he  has  been  converted? 

“Yes.” 

“Well,”  he  said,  “there  must  be  something  in  it.” 

He  put  on  his  hat  and  coat,  and  went  to  see  his  friend 
Black.  Black  got  him  down  to  the  meetings,  and  he 
was  converted. 

We  went  through  to  Glasgow,  and  had  not  been  there 
six  weeks  when  news  came  that  that  young  man  had  been 
Stricken  down,  and  had  died.  When  he  was  dying  he 
called  his  father  to  his  bedside  and  said: 

“Wasn’t  it  a  good  thing  that  my  sisters  went  to  those 
meetings?  ^Von’t  you  meet  me  in  heaven,  father? 

**Yes,  my  son,  I  am  so  glad  you  are  a  Christian,  that 
is  the  only  comfort  that  I  have  in  losing  you.  I  will 
become  a  Christian,  and  will  meet  you  again. 

I  tell  this  to  encourage  some  sister  to  go  home  and 
carry  the  message  of  salvation.  It  may  be  that  your 
brother  may  be  taken  away  in  a  few  months. 

How  one  Man  Treated  Doubts 
,  A  wild  and  prodigal  young  man,  who  was  running  & 
headlong  career  to  ruin  came  into  one  of  our  meetings 
in  Chicago.  Whilst  endeavoring  to  bring  him  to  Christ, 
I  quoted  this  verse  to  him:  “Him  that  cometh  unto  me 

I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out.” 

I  asked  him:  “Do  you  believe  Christ  said  that?*’ 

“I  suppose  He  did.”  ^ 

“Suppose  He  did!  do  you  believe  it?” 

“I  hope  so.” 

“Hope  so!  do  you  believe  it?  You  do  your  woric, 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


I17 

and  the  Lord  will  do  His.  Just  come  as  you  are,  and 
throw  yourself  upon  His  bosom,  and  He  will  not  cast 
you  out.” 

This  man  thought  it  was  too  simple  and  easy. 

At  last  light  seemed  to  break  in  upon  him,  and  he 
,  seemed  to  find  comfort  from  It  It  was  past  midnight 
before  he  got  down  on  his  knees,  but  down  he  went,  and 
was  converted,  I  said : 

‘‘Now,  don’t  think  you  are  going  to  get  out  of  the 
devil’s  territory  without  trouble.  The  devil  will  come 
to  you  to-morrow  morning  and  say  it  was  all  feeling; 
that  you  only  imagined  you  were  accepted  by  God. 
When  he  does,  don’t  fight  him  with  your  own  opinions, 
but  fight  him  with  John  vi.  37:  ‘Him  that  cometh  to  Me 
I  will  in  nowise  cast  out.  ’  Let  that  be  ‘the  sword  of  the 
Spirit.’  ” 

I  don’t  believe  that  any  man  ever  starts  to  "go  to 
Christ  but  the  devil  strives  somehow  or  other  to  meet 
him  and  trip  him  up.  And  even  after  he  has  come  to 
Christ,  the  devil  tries  to  assail  him  with  doubts,  and 
make  him  believe  there  is  something  wrong  in  it 

The  struggle  came  sooner  than  I  thought  in  this  man’s 
case.  When  he  was  on  his  way  home  the  devil  assailed 
him.  He  used  this  text,  but  the  devil  put  this  thought 
into  his  mind: 

“How  do  you  know  Christ  ever  said  that  after  all? 
Perhaps  the  translators  made  a  mistake.” 

Into  darkness  he  went  again.  He  was  in  trouble  till 
about  two  in  the  morning.  At  last  he  came  to  this  con¬ 
clusion.  Said  he: 

“I  will  believe  it  anyway;  and  when  I  get  to  heaven, 
if  it  isn’t  true,  I  will  just  tell  the  Lord  /  didn’t  make 
the  mistake — the  translators  made  it.” 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


^i8 


Use  or  Lose 

An  Eastern  allegory  runs  thus:  A  merchant,  going 
abroad  for  a  time,  gave  respectively  to  two  of  his  friends 
two  sacks  of  wheat  each,  to  take  care  of  against  his 
return.  Years  passed.  When  he  came  back,  he  applied 
for  them  again. 

The  first  took  him  into  a  storehouse,  and  showed 
him  his  sacks;  but  they  were  mildewed  and  worthless. 

The  other  led  him  out  into  the  open  country,  and 
pointed  to  field  after  field  of  waving  wheat,  the  produce 
of  the  two  sacks  given  him. 

Said  the  merchant:  “You  have  been  a  faithful  friend. 
Give  me  two  sacks  of  that  wheat ;  the  rest  shall  be  thine. 

Let  us  put  to  good  use  the  talents  God  has  given  us. 

The  Anchored  Boat 

I  once  heard  of  two  men  who  were  under  the  influ¬ 
ence  of  liquor.  They  came  down  at  night  to  where  their 
boat  was  tied.  They  wanted  to  return  home,  so  they 
got  in  and  began  to  row.  They  pulled  away  hard  all 
night,  wondering  why  they  never  got  to  the  other 'side  of 
the  bay.  When  the  gray  dawn  of  morning  broke, 
behold!  they  had  never  loosed  the  mooring  line  or  raised 
the  anchor! 

That’s  just  the  way  with  many  who  are  striving  to 
enter  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  They  cannot  believe, 
because  they  are  tied  to  this  world.  Cut  the  cord! 
Confess  and  forsake  your  sins!  Cut  the  cord!  Set  your¬ 
selves  free  from  the  clogging  weight  of  earthly  things, 
and  you  will  soon  rise  heavenward. 

Not  Much  up  There 

A  friend  of  mine  was  once  taken  by  an  old  man  to 
see  his  riches.  He  took  him  to  a  splendid  mansion,  and 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


1 19 


said,  ‘‘This  is  all  mine.”  He  pointed  to  a  little  town, 
‘‘That  is  mine;  it  is  called  by  my  name.”  He  pointed 
to  a  rolling  prairie,  “That  is  all  mine;  the  sun  never 
shone  on  a  finer  prairie  than  that,  so  fruitful  and  rich, 
and  it  s  ail  mine.  In  another  direction  he  showed  him 
fertile  farms  extending  for  thirty  miles,  “These  are  ail 
mine.”  He  took  him  into  his  grand  house,  showed  him 
his  beautiful  pictures,  his  costly  gold  plate,  his  jewels, 
and  still  he  said,  ‘These  are  all  mine.  This  grand  hall 
I  have  built;  it  is  called  by  my  name;  there  is  my 
insignia  on  it.  And  yet  I  was  once  a  poor  boy.  I  have 
made  it  all  myself.” 

My  friend  looked  at  him.  “Well,  you’ve  all  this  on 
earth;  but  what  have  you  got  up  there?” 

“Up  where?”  said  the  old  man. 

“Up  in  heaven.” 

“Well,  I’m  afraid  I  haven’t  got  much  up  there.” 

“Ah,”  said  my  friend,  “but  you’ve  got  to  die,  to 
leave  this  world;  what  will  you  take  with  you  of  all  these 
things?  You  will  die  a  beggar;  for  all  these  riches 
count  as  nothing  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  You  will 
be  a  pauper;  for  you  have  no  inheritance  with  the  saints 
above.”  The  poor  old  man  (he  was  poor  enough  in 
reality,  though  rich  in  all  the  world’s  goods)  burst  into 
tears.  He  had  no  hope  for  the  future.  In  four  months’ 
time  he  was  dead;  and  where  is  he  now?  He  lived  and 
died  without  God,  and  without  hope  in  this  world  or  the 
next. 

Touching  the  Spot 

When  a  man  has  broken  his  arm,  the  surgeon  must 
find  out  the  exact  spot  where  the  fracture  is.  He  feels 
along  and  presses  gently  with  his  fingers. 

“Is  it  there?” 


/20 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


“No.” 

“Is  it  there?” 

“No.” 

Presently,  when  the  surgeon  touches  another  spot, 

“Ouch!”  says  the  man. 

He  has  found  the  broken  part,  and  it  hurts. 

It  is  one  thing  to  hear  a  man  preach  down  other  peo¬ 
ple’s  sins.  Men  will  say,  “That  is  splendid,”  and  will 
want  all  their  friends  to  go  and  hear  the  preacher.  But 
let  him  touch  on  their  individual  sin,  and  declare,  as 
Nathan  did  to  David,  “Thou  art  the  man,”  and  they 
say,  “I  do  not  like  that.”  The  preacher  has  touched  a 

sore  place. 

The  Little  Boy  and  the  Big  Book 

I  like  to  think  of  Christ  as  a  burden  bearer. 

A  minister  was  one  day  moving  his  library  upstairs. 
As  he  was  going  up  with  a  load  of  books,  his  iittle 
boy  came  in,  and  was  very  anxious  to  help  bis  father. 
So  his  father  just  told  him  to  go  and  get  an  armful,  and 
bring  them  upstairs.  When  the  father  came  back,  he  met 
the  little  fellow  about  half-way  up,  tugging  away  at 
the  biggest  book  in  the  library.  He  couldn’t  manage 
to  carry  it  up.  It  was  too  big.  So  he  sat  down  and 

cried. 

His  father  found  him,  and  just  took  him  in  his  arms, 
book  and  all,  and  carried  him  upstairs.  So  Christ  will 
carry  you  and  all  your  burdens,  if  you  will  but  let  Him. 

The  Invitation  to  a  Saloon  Opening 
They  were  going  to  have  a  great  celebration  at  the 
opening  of  a  saloon  and  billiard  hall  in  Chicago,  in  the 
northern  part  of  the  city,  where  I  lived.  It  was  to  be  a 
gateway  to  death  and  to  hell,  one  of  the  worst  places  iu 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


121 


Chicago,  As  a  joke  they  sent  me  an  invitation  to  go  to 
the  opening.  I  took  the  invitation,  and  went  down  and 
saw  the  two  men  who  had  the  saloon,  and  I  said: 

’‘Is  that  a  genuine  invitation?” 

They  said  it  was. 

“Inank  you,”  I  said;  “I  will  be  around,  and  if  there 
is  anything  here  I  don’t  like  I  may  have  something  to 
say  about  it.  ” 

They  said,  “You  are  not  going  to  preachy  are  you?” 

“I  may.” 

‘‘We  don’t  want  you.  We  won’t  let  you  in.” 

“How  are  you  going  to  keep  me  out?”  I  asked. 
“There  is  the  invitation.” 

“We  will  put  a  policeman  at  the  door.” 

“What  is  the  policeman  going  to  do  with  that  invita¬ 
tion?” 

“We  won’t  let  you  in.” 

“"Well,”  I  said,  “I  will  be  there.” 

I  gave  them  a  good  scare,  and  then  I  said,  “I  will 
compromise  the  matter;  if  you  two  men  will  get  down 
here  and  let  me  pray  with  you,  I  will  let  you  off.” 

I  got  those  two  rum-sellers  down  on  their  knees,  one 
on  one  side  of  me  and  the  other  on  the  other  side,  and 
I  prayed  God  to  save  their  souls  and  smJte  their  busi¬ 
ness.  One  of  them  had  a  Christian  mother,  and  he 
seemed  to  have  some  conscience  left.  After  I  had 
prayed,  I  said: 

“How  can  you  do  this  business?  How  can  you  throw 
this  place  open  to  ruin  the  young  men  of  Chicago?” 

Within  three  months  the  whole  thing  smashed  up,  and 
one  of  them  was  converted  shortly  after.  I  have  never 
been  invited  to  a  saloon  since. 


123 


MOODY’S  STORIES 


“Too  Latel” 

At  our  church  iu  Chicago  I  was  closing  the  meeting 
one  d3-y>  when  a  young  soldier  got  up  and  entreated  the 
people  to  decide  for  Christ  at  once.  He  said '  he  had 
just  come  from  a  dark  scene.  A  comrade  of  his,  who  had 
enlisted  with  him,  had  a  father  who  was  always  entreat¬ 
ing  him  to  become  a  Christian,  and  in  reply  he  always 
said  he  would  when  the  war  was  over.  At  last  he  was 
wounded,  and  was  put  into  the  hospital,  but  got  worse, 
and  was  gradually  sinking.  One  day,  a  few  hours  before 
he  died,  a  letter  came  from  his  sister,  but  he  was  too  far 
gone  to  read  it.  It  was  such  an  earnest  letter!  The 
comrade  read  it  to  him,  but  he  did  not  seem  to  under¬ 
stand  it,  he  was  so  weak,  t.ii  it  came  to  the  last  sentence, 

which  said; 

“Oh,  my  dear  brother,  when  you  get  this  letter,  will 

you  not  accept  your  sister’s  Savior?” 

The  dying  man  sprang  up  from  his  cot,  and  said, 
“What  do  you  say?  what  do  you  say?”  And  then,  falling 
back  on  his  pillow,  feebly  exclaimed,  “//  is  too  late!  It 

is  too  late!"' 

My  dear  friends,  thank  God  it  is  not  too  late  for  you 
to-day.  The  Master  is  still  calling  you.  Let  every  one 
of  us,  young  and  old,  rich  and  poor,  come  to  Christ  at 
once,  and  He  will  put  all  our  sins  away.  Don’t  wait 
any  longer  for  feeling,  but  obey  at  once.  You  can 
believe,  you  can  trust,  you  can  lay  hold  on  eternal  life,  if 
you  will.  Will  you  not  do  it  now? 


topicalindex 


Assuranc&i’ 44 
Atonement,  8,  30, -98 
Attention,  43 
Backslider,  17,  22 
Balaam’s  ass,  102 
Bible,  9,  10,  IS,.  16,  22,  29, 
34,  44,  80,  94,  102,  108 
Breath  from  God,  35 
Child,  As  a,  49 
Choice,  98 ' 

Christ,  as  Bnrden-bearer, 
120 ;  for  all,  73 ;  seeking 
the  lost,  86;  coming  of,  67, 
85 ;  in  the  Bible,  31  ^ 

‘  ‘  Come,  ”  46  [65,  84,  103 

Communion  with  Christ,  21, 
Confessing  Christ,  26, 27,  3Sl 
52,  77.  109 

Conversion,  25,  80, 88 
Conviction,  21 
Courage,  20 
Covetousness,  27,  35, 51 
Craj^  from  sin,  ^ 

Criticising  the  ser'mon,  106 
Cross  of  Christ,  31 
Death,  18,  24,  107,  118 
Decision,  10,  61,  62,  93,  122 
Don’t  Worry  Clubs,  31 
Doubts,  36,  109,  116 
Doves,  Legend  about,  42, 
Drawing  a  comparison,  ,42 
Election,  107 
Eternity,  81. 

Faith,  12,44,  23.  55,  109 
Finding  the  thirty,  ^57 
Giving,  23, 35 
Grace^  20 
Habit,  83 
Heaven,  14,  62,  87 
“  Hitch  on”  and  ”  Cut  be- 
'  hind,”  104 
Holy  Spirit,  20,  35,  75 
Home  religion,  76,  85 
Honey-dew,  37 
Illuminated  Christians,  26 
Indwelling  Christ,  31 
Ihfidel  books,  18 
Is  your  soul  insured?  100 
Joy,  94 

Keeping,  8,  75,  99,  104 
Law,  72 


Liberty,  13 
Look  to  Christ,  43 
Love,  33,  69 
Memory,  101 
Money,  33,  95 
Murder,  67,  95 
Need,  45 

Neglecting  church,  53 
No  difference,  40 
”  Not  for  you,”  67 
Obedience,  56„9I 
Opportunity,  78,  79 
Oratorical  preaching,  53 
Parables,  Making,  58 
Parents,  19,  32, 49. 50. 51.  58,  59 
Peace,  9,  16,  23 
Pendulum,  Lady,  7 
Personal  religion,  38 
prayer,  68 
Pride,  76 

Promises,  63,  68,  99 
Repentance,  45 
Restitution,  71 
Resurrection,  64 
Revivals,  79 
Rich  husband,  93 
Saloon  opening,  120 
Salvation,  8,38,  82,86,  93 
Scarlet  thread,  31 
Sealed  for  redemption,  27 
Separation,  69,  102,  118 
Sin,  118,  119 
Sinner’s  heart,  97 
Small  beginnings,  64 
Sowing  and  reaping.48i63,82, 87 
Starting  right,  73 
Stealing,  35,  67 
Substitution,  74 
Sunday,  55,  60,  100 
Swearing,  90 

Temptation,  27, 77, 78, 85, 98 

Theatre,  38,  111 

Time  to  think,  86 

Trial,  28 

Trust,  8, 11,  46 

Unbelief,  55,  56 

Unity,  83 

Use  or  lose,  118 

Watching,  85  [106,  108,  ll4 

Work,  15,  24,  34,  48,  97. 

V/ill.  39.  57.  66  - 


PSALl^l  23. 


^HE  Lord  is  my  shepherd;  I  shall 
^  not  want. 

2  He  maketh  me  to  lie  down  in  green 
pastures:  he  leadeth  me  beside  tne 
still  waters. 

3  He  restoreth  my  soul:  he  leadeth 
ine  in  the  paths  of  righteousness  for 
Ms  name’s  sake. 

4  Yea.  though  I  walk  through  the 
valley  of  the  shadow  of  death.  1  will 
fear  no  evil:  for  thou  art  with  me; 
thy  rod  and  thy  staff  they  comfort  me. 

5  Thou  preparest  a  table  before  me 
in  the  presence  of  mine  enemies:  thou 
anointest  my  head  with  oil;  my  cup 
runneth  over. 

e  Surely  goodness  and  mercy  shall 
follow  me  all  the  days  of  my  hfe:  and 
I  will  dwell  in  the  house  of  the  Lord 
forever. 


ISAIAH  5S:  1—7. 


m 


),  every  one  that  thirsteth,  come 
—  ye  to  the  waters,  and  he  that  hath 
no  money;  come  ye.  buy.  and  eat;  yea, 
come,  buy  wane  and  milk  without 
money  and  without  price. 

2  Wherefore  do  9©  spend  money  tor 
that  which  is  not  bread?  and  your 
labour  for  that  which  satisfieth  notf 
hearken  diligently  unto  me,  and  eat 
ye  that  which  is  good,  and  let  your 
soul  delight  itself  in  fatness. 

3  Incline  your  ear,  and  come  unto 
.  me;  hear,  and  your  soul  shall  live; 

I  and  I  will  make  an  everlasting  cov¬ 
enant  with  you,  even  the  sure  mercies 

of  David.  ,  ,  .  , 

4  Behold,  I  have  given  him  for  a 
witness  to  the  people,  a  leader  and 
commander  to  the  people. 

5  Behold,  thou  shalt  call  a  nation 
that  thou  knowest  not,  and  nations 
that  knew  not  thee  shall  run  unto 
thee,  because  oi  the  Lord  thy  God, 
and  for  the  Holy  One  of  Israel;  for  he 
hath  glorified  thee. 

6  Seek  ye  the  Lord  while  he  may 
be  found,  call  ye  upon-  him  while  he 

7  Let’  the  wicked  forsake  his  v/ay, 
and  the  unrighteous  man  his  thoughts; 
and  let  him  return  unto  the  Lord,  and 
he  will  have  mercy  upon  him;  and  to 
our  God,  for  he  will  abundantly  pardon. 


JOHN  3«  a-ia 

THERE  was  a  man  of  the  Phavisees, 

^  named  Nicodemas,  a  ruler  of  the 
Jews: 

2  The  same  came  to  Jesus  by  night, 
and  said  unto  him.  Rabbi,  we  know 
that  thou  art  a  teacher  come^  from 
God;  for  no  man  can  do  these  miracles 
that  thou  doest,  except  God  be  with 

him.  ■>  .....  vs 

3  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  him. 
Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  thee.  Except 
a  man  be  born  again,  he  cannot  see 
the  kingdom  of  God. 

4  Nicodemus  saith  unto  mm.  How 
can  a  man  be  born  when  he  is  old^ 
can  he  enter  the  second  time  mto  his 
mother’s  womb,  and  be  Iwm? 

fi  Jesus  answered.  Verily,  venly,  I 
say  unto  thee.  Except  a  .niM  be  born 
of  "water  and  of  the  Spirit,  he  cannot 
enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God,  ^ 

6  That  which  is  bom  of  the  flesh  is 

flesh;  and  that  which  is  bom  of  the 
Spirit  is  spirit.  ^ 

7  Marvel  not  that  I  said  unto  thee. 
Ye  must  be  born  again.  ^ 

8  The  wind  bloweth  where  it  listeth, 
and  thou  hearest  the  sound  thereof, 
but  canst  not  tell  whence  it  cometh, 
and  whither  it  goeth;  so  is  every  one 
that  is  born  of  the  Spirit. 

9  Nicodemus  answered  and  said  un¬ 
to  him.  How  can  ihese  things  be? 

10  Jesus  answered  and  said  u^^to 
him,  Art  thou  a  master  of  Israel,  and 
knowest  not  these  things? 

11  Verily,  verily.  I  say  unto  thee. 
We  speak  that  we  do  know,  and  testily 
that  we  have  seen;  and  ye  receive  not 
our  witness, 

12  If  I  have  told  you  earthly  things, 
and  ye  bel'eve  not,  how  shall  ye  be¬ 
lieve,  if  I  V  II  you  of  heavenly  things? 

13  And  o  man  hath  ascended  up 
to  heaven,  but  he  that  came  down 
from  heaven,  even  the  Son  of  man 
which  is  in  heaven. 

14  And  as  Moses  lifted  up  the 
serpent  in  the  wilderness  even  so 
must  the  Son  of  man  be  lifted  up:  ^ 

15  That  whosoever  believeth  in  him 
should  not  perish,  but  have  eternal  life. 

16  For  God  so  loved  the  world,  that 
he  gave  his  only  begotten  Son,  that 
whosoever  believeth  in  him  should 
not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  me. 


JUST  AS  I  AM. 


JUST  as  I  am,  without  one  plea 
*■'  But  that  Thy  blood  was  shed  for  me, 
And  that  Thou  bid’st  me  come  to  Thee; 
O  Lamb  of  God,  i  come,  I  come! 


Just  as  I  am,  and  waiting  not 
To  rid  my  soul  of  one  dark  blot. 

To  Thee,  whose  biood  can  cleanse  each 
spot, 

0  Lamb  of  God,  I  come,  I  come! 


Just  as  I  am — Thou  wilt  receive. 
Wilt  welcome,  pardon,  cleanse, 
relieve; 

Because  Thy  promise  I  believe, 

0  Lamb  of  God,  I  come,  I  come! 


BEHOLD  A  STRANGEa. 

■REHOLD  a  Stranger  at  the  door: 

^  He  gently  knocks,  has  knocked 
.  before; 

Has  v/aited  long,  is  waiting  stilh 
You  treat  no  other  friend  so  ilL 

Oh,  lovely  attitude!  He  stands 
With  melting  heart  and  laden  handd; 
Oh,  matchless  kindness!  and  He  shows 
This  matchless  kindness  to  His  foes. 

But  will  He  prove  a  friend  indeed? 

He  will,  the  very  friend  you  need— 
The  Friend  of  sinners;  yes,  ’tis  He, 
With  garments  dyed  on  C^vary. 


Just  as  I  am— Tliy  love  unknown 
Has  broken  ev’ry  barrier  down; 
Now  to  be  Thine,  yea.  Thine  alone, 
0  Lamb  of  God,  i  come,  I  come ! 

JESUS.  LOVER  OF  MY  SOUL. 

TESUS,  Lover  of  my  soul, 

^  Let  me  to  Thy  bosom  fly 
While  the  nearer  waters  roll. 

While  the  tempest  still  is  high! 
Hide  me,  O  my  Saviour,  hide 
Till  the  storm  of  life  is  past; 

Safe  into  the  haven  guide; 

O  receive  my  soul  at  last! 

Other  refuge  have  I  none. 

Hangs  my  helpless  soul  on  Thee; 
Leave,  O  leave  me  not  alone. 

Still  support  and  comfort  me! 

All  my  trust  on  Thee  is  stayed. 

All  my  help  from  Thee  I  bring; 
Cover  my  defenceless  head 
With  the  shadow  of  Thy  wingl 

Thou,  0  Christ,  art  all  I  want. 

More  than  all  in  Thee  I  find! 
Raise  the  fallen,  cheer  the  faint. 
Heal  the  sick,  and  lead  the  bUnd. 
Just  and  holy  is  Thy  name, 

I  am  all  unrighteousness; 

False  and  full  of  sin  I  am. 

Thou  art  full  of  truth  and  grace. 

Flenteous  grace  with  Thee  is  found, 
Grace  to  cover  all  my  sin; 

Let  the  healing  streams  abound. 
Make  and  keep  me  pure  within; 
Thou  of  life  the  fountain  art. 

Freely  let  me  take  of  Thee; 

Spring  Thou  up  within  my  heart. 
Rise  to  all  eternity. 


Rise,  touched  with  gratitude  divine. 
Turn  out  His  enemy  and  thine; 

That  soul-destroying  monster,  sin; 
And  let  the  heavenly  Stranger  in. 

GLORY  TO  HIS  NAMEI 

‘ROWN  at  the  cross  where  my  Saviour 
^  died. 

Down  where  for  cleansing  from  sin  I 
cried 

There  to  my  heart  was  the  blood 

applied— 

Glory  to  His  name  I 
Chorus: 

Glory  to  His  name. 

Glory  to  His  name! 

There  to  my  heart  was  the  blood 

applied— 

Glory  to  His  name! 

I  am  so  wondrously  saved  from  sin,— 
Jesus  so  sweetly  abides  within, — 
There  at  the  cross  where  He  took  me  in- 
Glory  to  His  name! 

O  precious  fountain  that  saves  from 
sin, 

I  am  so  glad  I  have  entered  in; 

There  Jesus  saved  me  and  keeps  me 
clean — 

Glory  to  His  name! 

Come  to  this  fouciain  so  rich  and 
sweet. 

Cast  thy  poor  soul  at  the  Saviour’s 

r>i  . 

Plunge  in  today,  and  be  made  com¬ 
plete — 

Glory  to  His  name! 


DEPTK  OF  MERCY  I 

■r\EIPTH  of  mercy!  can  there  be 
^  Mercy  etill  reserved  for  me? 
Can  my  God  His  wrath  forbear? 
Me,  the  chief  of  sinners,  spare? 


I  have  long  withstood  His  grace. 
Long  provoked  Him  to  His  face; 
Would  not  hearken  to  His  calls; 
Grieved  Him  by  a  thousand  falls. 


Now  incline  me  to  repent. 

Let  me  now  ».y  sins  lament; 
Now  my  foul  revolt  deplore. 
Weep,  believe,  and  sin  no  more. 


1  WAS  A  V/AND’RING  SHEEP. 

I  WAS  a  wand’ring  sheep, 

I  did  not  love  the  fold; 

I  did  not  love  my  Shepherd’s  voice, 
I  would  not  be  controlled. 

T  was  a  wayward  child, 

I  did  not  Icve  my  home; 

I  did  not  love  my  Father’s  voice; 

1  loved  afar  to  roam. 


The  Shepherd  sought  His  sheep, 

The  Father  sought  His  child. 

They  followed  me  o’er  vale  and  hill. 
O’er  deserts  waste  and  wild; 

They  found  me  nigh  to  death, 
Famished  and  faint,  and  lone; 

They  bound  me  with  the  bands  of  love; 
They  saved  the  wand’ring  or,t. 

Jesus  my  Shepherd  Is, 

Twas  He  that  loved  my  soul, 

•Twas  He  that  washed  me  in  His  blood, 
‘Twas  He  that  made  me  whole; 

Twas  He  that  sought  the  lost. 

That  found  the  wand’ring  sheep, 

Twas  He  that  brought  me  to  the  fold, 
"Tis  He  that  still  doth  keep. 

I  was  a  wand’ring  sheep, 

I  would  not  be  controlled; 

But  now  I  love  the  Shepherd’s  voice, 

I  love,  I  love  the  fold; 

I  was  a  wayward  child, 

I  once  preferred  to  roam; 

But  now  1  love  my  Father’s  vmce, 

I  love,  I  love  His  home. 


WHAT  A  FRIEND  WE  HAVE  IN 
JESUSI 

WHAT  a  Friend  we  have  in  Jesus, 
All  our  sins  and  griefs  to  bear  I 

What  a  privilege  to  carry 
Ev’ry^thing  to  God  in  prayer! 

0  what  peace  we  often  forfeit, 

O  what  needless  pain  we  bear. 

All  because  we  do  not  carry 
Ev’rything  to  God  in  prayer. 

Have  we  trials  and  temptations!' 

Is  there  trouble  anywhere? 

We  should  never  be  discouraged. 

Take  it  to  the  ^rd  in  prayer. 

Can  we  find  a  friend  so  faithful. 

Who  will  all  our  sorrows  share? 

Jesus  knows  our  ev’ry  weakness. 
Take  it  to  the  Lord  in  prayer. 

Are  we  weak  and  heavy  laden. 
Cumbered  with  a  load  o(  care? 

Precious  Saviour,  still  our  refuge,— 
Take  it  to  the  Lord  in  prayer. 

Do  thy  friends  despise,  forsake  thee? 
Take  it  to  the  Lord  in  prayer,  ^ 

In  His  arms  He’ll  take  and  shield 
Thou  wilt  find  a  solace  there. 


O  HAPPY  DAY! 

0  HAPPY  day  that  fixed  my  ch(^ 
On  Thee,  my  Saviwir  and  my  Godt 
Well  may  this  glowing  heart  rejoice. 
And  tell  its  raptures  all  abroad. 

Chorus; 

Happy  day,  happy  day. 

When  Jesus  washed  my  sins  away  I 
He  taught  me  how  to  watch  and  pray* 
And  live  rejoicing  every  day; 

Happy  day,  happy  day. 

When  Jesus  washed  my  sin  away! 

0  happy  bond  that  seals  my  vows 
To  Him  who  merits  all  my  love! 

Let  cheerful  anthems  fill  His  house. 
While  to  that  sacred  shrine  I  move, 

’Tis  done,  the  great  transaction’s  done; 

I  am  my  Lord’s  and  He  is  mine; 

He  drew  me,  and  I  followed  on. 
Charmed  to  confess  the  vcace  divine 


WHY  NOT  BECOME  A  BOOK  ' 
MISSIONARY? 

The  Work  is  Congenial  and  Remunerative.  Then*  to©-~- 

It  is  easily  done. 

It  can  bejdone  anywhere. 

It  appeals  to  one’s  best,  and  the  best  in  others. 

It  is  adapted  to  either  men  or  women,  young  or  old* 

It  may  be  followed  in  either  city  or  country  districts. 

It  requires  only  moderate  capital  with  which  to  begin. 

Its  books  fill  a  want  greatly  felt  in  many  communities. 

It  frequently  leads  to  even  larger  spheres  of  usefulness. 

It  is  a  work  which  may  be  done  at  any  season  of  the  year. 

It  may  be  pursued  for  a  longer  or  shorter  time,  as  desired. 

Its  plan  wins  the  cordial  support  of  most  evangelical  pastors. 

Its  founder  and  authors  are  well  known  and  universally  respected. 

It  affords  opportunity  for  the  use  of  one’s  most  promising  talents. 

Its  pecuniary  reward  is  ample,  its  spiritual  returns  most  encour- 
agmg. 

Its  plan  makes  a  territory  easily  canvassable  again  and  a^ain 
.  with  profit,  ^ 

It  is  conspicuously  free  from  even  the  suggestion  of  sraft. 
schemes,  etc.  ^ 

Its  adaptation  is  to  all  classes  of  earnest  pronie  of  either  sex 
old  or  young.  ’ 

Its  scope  (variety  of  books  and  languages)  gives  it  the  broadest 
application  everywhere. 

Its  plans  of  working  secures  for  one  a  most  valuable  training  in 
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Its  prosecution  is  a  most  helpful  employment,  taking  one  into 
the  open  air,  with  a  modicum  of  physical  exercise. 

It  involves  a  minimum  of  risk,  as  cash  paid  for  supplies  of  books 
not  sold  may  (under  certain  simple  conditions)  be  refunded. 

Its  general  aim  is  to  “preach  the  Gospel  in  print,”  and  this  by 
means  of  attractive,  popular  and  low-priced  books,  of  which 
this  copy  is  a  specimen. 

If  interested,  nuill  you  not  nvrite  us  for  further  particulars? 

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NUMERICAL  CATALOGUE  OF 

THE  MOODY  COLPORTAGE  LIBRARY 

A  aeries  of  books  by  well-known  Christian  authors,  ui.denominational, 
thoroughly  evangelical,  for  all  classes  of  re''ders,  in  several  languages.  All 
uniform  in  size  and  style,  attractive  paper  ^ers,  4%  x  6%  inches*  each. 


1 

2 

8 

4 

e 

6 

7 

9 


18 

19 

20 
21 


Mrs.  O.  P. 


All  of  Grace.  C.  H.  Spurgeon. 

The  W  ay  to  God.  D.  L.  Moody 
Pleasure  and  Profit  in  Bible  Study. 

D.  L.  Moody 

Life,  W ariare  and  Victory.  D.  W.  Whittle 
Heaven.  D.  L.  Moody 
Prevailing  Prayer.  D.  L.  Moody 
The  Way  of  Life.  Various  authors 
To  the  Work.  D.  L.  Moody 

10  According  to  Promise.  C.  fl.  Spurgeon 

11  Bible  Characters.  D.  L.  Moody 

12  Gospel  Pictures  and  Story  Sermons. 
Whittle 

13  "And  Peter.'*  J.  W.  Chapman 

15  Light  on  Life’s  Duties.  F.  B.  Meyer 

16  Point  and  Purpose  in  Story  and  Saying 
The  Gooa  Shepherd.  Life  of  Christ 
Good  Tidings.  Talmage  and  others 
Sovereign  Grace.  D,  L.  Moody 
Select  Sermons  D.  L.  Moody 

22  Fifty  Temperance  Tales 

23  Nobody  Loves  Me — A  Story. 

Walton 

24  The  Empty  Tomb.  Various  Authors 
26  Sowing  and  Reaping.  D.  L.  Moody 
28  Probable  Sons — A  Story.  Amy  LeFeuvre 
80  Good  News.  Robert  Boyd 
82  The  Secret  oi  Guidance.  F.  B.  Meyer 
34  The  Second  Coming  of  Christ 
86  Sunday  Talks  to  the  Young.  Josiah  Mee 
88  Psrablee  from  Nature.  Mrs.  Alfred 

Gatty 

40  The  Story  of  a  Surrendered  Life,  or 
^l^deah-Bamea.  J  W.  Chapman 
42  Whiter  Than  Snow  and  Little  Dot.— - 
Stories.  Mrs.  O.  F.  Walton 
44  The  Overcoming  life.  D.  L.  Moody 
46  A  Royal  EzUe.  T.  D.  Talmage 
48  The  Prodigal.  Various  Authors 
48  The  Spirit-Filled  Life.  John  MacNeil 
Jessica’s  First  Prayer — A  Story,  Stretton 
A  Castaway.  F',  B.  Meyer 
Heaven  on  Earth.  A.  C.  Dixon 
Select  Nortbfield  Sermons 
Absolute  Surrender.  Andrew  Murray 
66  Possibilities.  J.  G.  K.  McClure 

66  What  is  Faith?  Spurgeon,  Moody  and 
others 

67  Christie’s  Old  Organ — A  Story.  Walton 

68  Naaman  the  Syrian.  A.  B.  Mackay 
Weighed  and  Wanting.  Addressee  on 

the  Ten  Commandments.  D<  L. 
Moody 

The  Crew  of  the  Holphin — A  Story, 
Hesba  Stretton 

Meet  for  the  Master’s  Use.  F.  B 
64  Our  Bible,  C.  Leach  and  R.  A. 

66  Alone  in  London — ^A  Story, 

Stretton 

Moody’s  Anecdotes 
Drummond  s  Addresses 
The  Mirage  of  Life.  W.  H.  MiHef 
Children  o’  the  Bible 
!J  VO  The  Power  of  Pentecost,  Thomas  Waugh 
it  71  Men  of  the  Bible.  D.  L.  Moody 


60 

61 

62 

53 

64 


60 


81 

63 


66 

67 

68 
66 


,  Mayet 
Torrep 
Hesba 


72  A  Peep  Behind  the  Scenes.  Mrs.  O.  li'. 

Walton 

73  The  School  of  Obcdienjee.  Andrev,' 

Murray 

74  Home  Duties.  R.  T.  Cross 

76  Moody ’s  Stories 

77  The  True  Estimate  of  Life.  Q.Campb^ 

r'lorgan 

78  The  Robber's  Cave — A  Story.  A.L.O.H. 
81  Thoughts  for  the  Quiet  Hour 

83  The  Shorter  Life ct  D.  L.  Moody.  VoLI. 

P,  D.  Moody  and  A  P.  Fitt 
86  Revival  of  a  Dead  Church.  L.  Q. 
Broughton 

86  Moody’s  Latest  Sermons 

87  A  Missionary  Penny — A  Story.  L.C.W. 

88  Calvary’s  Cross.  Spurgeon,  Whittle  and 

others 

89  How  to  Pray.  R.  A.  Torrey 

90  Little  King  Davie — A  Story.  Nellie  Hellis 
61  Short  Talks.  D.  L.  Moody 

93  Pilgrim’s  Progress.  John  Bunyan 
95  Our  Lord’s  Return,  or  What  is  “Maran- 
atha”?  Gillinge 

90  Kept  for  the  Master’s  Use.  Havergal 
98  Back  to  Bethel.  F.  B.  Meyer 

100  Up  from  Sin,  L.  G.  Broughton 

101  Ten  Commandmeaite.  G.  Campbell 

Morgan 

102  Popular  Amusements  and  the  Christian 

Life.  Sinks 

104  Answers  to  Prayer,  from  George  Muller's 
Narratives 

106  The  Way  Home.  D.  L.  Moody 

108  Life  of  Adoniram  Judson.  Julia  EL 

Johnston 

109  Life  of  David  Livingston.  Mxs.  J.  H. 

Worcester,  Jr. 

111  Life  of  Henry  Martyn  and  Samuel  Mills. 

Mrs.  Sarah  J.  Rhea 

112  Life  of  Robert  Moffat.  M.  L.  Wilder 

114  Ftrst  Words  to  Young  Christians.  Robt. 

Boyd 

115  Rosa’s  Quest — A  Story.  Anna  P.  Wright 

116  Di<ficulties  in  the  Bible.  R.  A.  Torrey 
119  Practical  and  Perplexing  Questions  Aor 

Bwered.  R.  A.  Torrey 
126  Satan  and  the  Saint.  James  M.  Gray 
121  Present  Day  Life  and  Religion.  A.  C. 
Dixon 

12£  Great  Epochs  of  Sacred  History.  James 
M.  Gray 

123  Salvation  from  Start  to  Finish.  James 
M.  Gray 

126  Life  in  a  Look.  M.  S.  Baldwin 

126  Burton  Street  Folks.  Anna  P.  Wright 

127  Bible  Problems  Explained.  James  M. 

Gray 

128  Papers  on  Our  Lord’s  Coming.  "C.H.M.” 

129  The  Christian:  H.i  Creed  and  Conduct. 

William  Evans 

130  Intercessory  Prayer.  J.  G.  K.  McClure 

131  From  Death  Unto  Lire.  James  H.  Brookes 

132  Ruth,  the  Moabitess.  Henry  Moorehouse 

133  “Thus  Saitb  the  Ijord,"  D.  W.  Whittle 


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Three  Valuable  Books! 


By  REV.  JAMES  M.  GRAY,  D.D. 

BIBLE  PROBLEMS  EXPLAINED 

The  author  for  years  has  been  in  receipt  of  questions  from  co^ 
respondents  in  all  parts  of  the  world,  bearing  on  problems  of  toe 
Bible,  the  church  and  Christian  experience.  ^  They  have  had 
attention  in  due  course,  and  many  of  these  inquiries  are  now 
and  presented  (anonymously)  with  their  answers  for  the  benefit  of 
others.  For  convenience  the  matter  is  arranged  under  the  follow¬ 
ing-named  heads: 

Questions  on  the  Bibl*.  Applied  Christianity. 

The  Doctrine  of  God.  The  Future  Life. 

The  Person  of  Christ 

The  Church.  Second  Coming  of  Christ  and  the 

The  Christian  Ministry.  Millennium. 

Christian  Doctrine  and  Ufo.  Satan,  Angelology  and  Modem  bm*. 

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tional  classifications  of  ‘‘Subject  Index”  and  ‘  Bible  Texts. 


By  REV.  R.  A.  TORREY,  D.D. 

DIFFICULTIES  AND  ALLEGED  ERRORS  AND 
CONTRADICTIONS  IN  THE  BIBLE 

After  a  general  statement  of  the  case,  indicating  the  classes  of 
difficulties  and  suggesting  their  treatment,  the  author  discusses 
specific  difficulties,  such  as: 


The  First  Chapter  of  Genesis. 

The  Antiquity  of  Man. 

Where  Did  Cain  Get  His  Wifef 
Jehovah's  Conuuand  to  Offer  Isaac. 
God  Hardening  Pharaoh’s  Heart. 
The  Slaughter  of  the  Canaanites. 
The  Son  Standing  StilL 


The  Sacrifice  of  jephthah’s  Dao^te*. 
*Tmpure”  Bible  Stories. 

Jonah  and  *‘the  Wbiale.” 

Preaching  to  the  Spirits  in  Prison. 
“Contradictions”  and  “Mistakes”  in 
the  Bible. 

Etc.,  etc. 


PRACTICAL  AND  PERPLEXING  QUESTIONS 

ANSWERED 

Over  150  answers  to  difficulties  met  in  Bible  Study.  Christian 
work  and  personal  experience.  All  the  ever-recurring  questions 
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